China News Agency, Washington, April 9 (Reporter Chen Mengtong) Affected by the new coronary pneumonia epidemic, the number of people applying for unemployment relief for the first time in the United States exceeded 6 million for two consecutive weeks. Since President Trump declared a "national emergency" on March 13, at least 16 million Americans have applied for unemployment benefits.
On April 8, local time, people in the San Francisco Bay Area lined up outside Costco Supermarket in Foster City, waiting to buy supplies. China News Service reporter Liu Guanguan
The US Department of Labor released data on the 9th that as of the week of April 4, the United States had 6.606 million people applying for unemployment relief for the first time. The previous week (the week of March 28), the revised value was 6.87 million.
As of the end of March, another key measure of the unemployment rate-the total number of people receiving unemployment insurance in the United States reached 7.455 million. According to the US Department of Labor, this number has exceeded the historical high of 6.635 million recorded in May 2009.
US Labor Secretary Scalia said in a statement, "Today's report continues to reflect the sacrifices made by American workers and their families to slow the new crown epidemic."
The Wall Street Journal pointed out that it is unclear when the number of first-time jobless claims in the US will peak, but there is evidence that the number of jobless claims will continue to remain high in the coming weeks.
Former Fed Chairman Yellen said that the US unemployment rate has risen to at least 12% or 13%, which is the worst unemployment level since the Great Depression.
According to data from the US Department of Labor, in the week of March 28, California (871,000) was the first to apply for unemployment benefits, followed by New York (286,000), Michigan (176,000), and Florida (154,000) .
Reuters said the above data strengthened the expectation that the number of unemployed people in the United States will exceed 20 million in April. This also means that the US government urgently needs to introduce more fiscal stimulus measures to prevent the economy from plummeting.
Trump held a video conference with the heads of US financial institutions at the White House on the 9th, requesting banks to implement loan assistance for small businesses across the United States. U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin said at the meeting that it is imperative to ensure that small businesses receive the funds needed to respond to the epidemic. The package of fiscal stimulus measures previously adopted is to be implemented. At the same time, he is negotiating with the two parties in Congress to provide a new round of economy for small businesses assistance. (Finish)