Maine unemployment claims skyrocket to record 21,500 in 1 week

Nationwide, almost 3.3 million workers filed for unemployment benefits last week, the highest seasonally adjusted total on record, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The previous high was in October 1982, when about 695,000 workers filed claims.

“This is a pretty unprecedented recession we’re entering,” said Sarah Austin, a policy analyst for the progressive think tank Maine Center for Economic Policy. “Usually this happens over a series of months; this is happening over a series of weeks.”

Click here to read the full story, first published March 26, 2020, in the Portland Press Herald.