Nearly three million Americans filed new unemployment claims last week, bringing the total number to 36.5 million since mid-March. Continuing unemployment claims stood at 22.8 million last week, which marked a slight increase from the week before.
The largest increases in new filings came from Oklahoma, Maryland, New Jersey, and Maine. Florida, Georgia, and Alabama all saw decreases in new claims as those states have begun to reopen their economies nearly two months after non-essential businesses were forced to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Many workers who were laid off or furloughed are facing numerous issues as they try to file for unemployment benefits. Some states have been unable to handle the massive influx of new filers and have been struggling to process the claims in a timely manner, leaving people frustrated as they wait for financial relief.
“It was so difficult to get through the first time that I have no real faith that the system is going to work anytime in the near future,” Jason Cooper, a Florida restaurant worker who was furloughed, told the New York Times.
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