CA Unemployment Explodes; More Than 1M Claims Filed In 2 Weeks

CALIFORNIA — As Californians continue to "stay at home" under a statewide order, essential businesses remain open. But those working for businesses deemed unessential, and others affected by the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, are driving up the unemployment claims in the Golden State at a rapid rate — to the tune of 1,065,060 in two weeks alone.

That's according to new data released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor showing that 186,333 Californians filed initial claims for unemployment benefits in the week ending March 21. That number then skyrocketed to 878,727 claims for the week ending March 28.

In the week ending March 14, there were just 57,606 filings for unemployment benefits in California, according to the state's economic development department.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the stay-at-home order March 19.

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The news comes amid an explosion of unemployment claims at the national level: 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment in the last week, the data shows. That's double the record high set just one week earlier. The national unemployment rate could spike to as high as 15 percent this month, above the previous record set in 1982.

"Similar to last week’s unemployment claims numbers, today’s report reflects the sacrifices American workers are making for their families, neighbors and country in order to 'slow the spread,'" U.S. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia said in a media release. "The administration continues to act quickly to address this impact on American workers."

The latest data is evidence that the economic fallout from the coronavirus crisis is worsening as more than two-thirds of the U.S. population — including the entire state of California — is under stay-at-home orders.

The orders are aimed to mitigate the spread of the virus, which has now claimed more than 5,300 American lives, including at least 216 Californians, as of midday Thursday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The state reported 9,937 confirmed coronavirus cases, a number that will undoubtedly rise in the days to come.

The California Economic Development Department acknowledged the massive increase and said more resources are being committed to help Californians file for unemployment benefits.

"Due to current events, we are experiencing a large increase in claims filed and are extending our staff resources to keep up with the demand," the EDD website stated Thursday. "For faster service, use UI Online to file your claim, certify for benefits, and get payment information. Thank you for patience."

If you are looking to file a claim and can't apply online as suggested, you can also do so by phone and by fax or mail.

Full coronavirus coverage: California Coronavirus: Latest Updates On Cases, Orders, Closures

This article originally appeared on the Temecula Patch