MA Coronavirus: Unemployment Claims Top 750,000

BOSTON — The number of Massachusetts residents applying for first-time unemployment benefits during the week that ended April 25 was 70,714, according to Thursday's U.S. Department of Labor report.

It was the sixth weekly labor report since companies began laying off and furloughing workers in response to the economic downturn caused by the new coronavirus pandemic. Since the report for the week ended March 21, Massachusetts has seen 759,802 workers file for first-time unemployment benefits.

Nationally, the number of people filing for unemployment fell to 3.84 million in the week ending April 18, compared to 4.43 million the previous week. Before the unprecedented unemployment claims started in March, the worst week for national unemployment claims was 695,000 in 1982.

The biggest weekly claims number in Massachusetts during the Great Recession came in December 2008, when 22,028 people filed for unemployment during a single week. In 2008, however, layoffs came in waves over the course of several months.

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The new jobless numbers come a day after a report showing the U.S. economy shrank more in the first quarter than any other quarter since 2008, with the gross domestic product falling 4.8 percent. That number, according to economists, could grow to as much as 30 percent in the current quarter, a drop not seen since the Great Depression.

Health officials fear the increasing job losses will increase pressure on governors to reopen their states and relax social distancing measures in an effort to restart the economy. President Donald Trump has signaled he does not plan to extend social distancing measures nationally and will leave decisions up to the states. In Massachusetts, protesters have already targeted Gov. Charlie Baker, who this week extended the state's closure of nonessential businesses to May 18.

More Coronavirus Coverage On Massachusetts Patch:

• State Needs To Increase Coronavirus Testing To Safely Reopen
• CDC Data Suggest Coronavirus Death Count Higher
• Many MA Residents Still Waiting For Coronavirus Stimulus Checks
• Coronavirus Case Counts For Every Massachusetts Town (Updated April 29)

Dave Copeland writes for Patch and can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).