Coronavirus crisis wipes out all job gains since the Great Recession

(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

published 23 April 2020

The number of Americans who have filed initial unemployment claims amid the coronavirus crisis has now surpassed 26 million, according to new data released Thursday.

The Labor Department on Thursday reported that 4.4 million more Americans filed initial applications for jobless benefits last week, which brings the total jobless claims to more than 26 million over the past five weeks, The New York Times reports.

The job losses during the coronavirus crisis have now wiped out all the gains made during the longest hiring boom in U.S. history, Reuters reports. A total of 22.4 million jobs were added to nonfarm payrolls since November 2009 after the Great Recession, CNBC reports, a number that has officially been surpassed by the number of job losses during the pandemic as businesses around the country close their doors.

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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