Coronavirus New Jersey: Jobless Claims At 1M In State, $2B Paid Out Since Outbreak Began
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - More than 1 million New Jersey residents have filed for jobless benefits and the state has paid out about $2 billion since the coronavirus outbreak hit in March, state labor officials announced Thursday. The state Labor and Workforce Development Department said the number of claims is "by far the most ever recorded" over a similar time frame.
The week ending May 2 saw 88,000 new claims, up from 72,000 the week before.
Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo said in a statement that the 1 million claim milestone was "staggering" and that they never thought they'd reach such a figure in so short a time.
New Jersey is among the worst-hit states by COVID-19. There are more than 131,000 cases and about 8,500 deaths.
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press.