Unemployment Claims Surge To Record 3.3 Million As Coronavirus Slams Labor Market
Roughly 3.3 million people filed a claim for jobless aid in the week ending March 21, a nearly fivefold increase over the previous record in 1982.
Watch CBS News
Roughly 3.3 million people filed a claim for jobless aid in the week ending March 21, a nearly fivefold increase over the previous record in 1982.
The company said it has hundreds of job opportunities for people who have been laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I know what that it feels like to be down and out and sometimes you need someone to give you a helping hand."
The State of Illinois has fixed a database problem that delayed nearly 30,000 unemployment checks.
Workers' paychecks grew tepidly from the previous month and are up just 2.7% compared to the same time last year.
Businesses hired robustly in May, reversing the slowing trend of the preceding two months, the Labor Department reported Friday. Here's what you need to know.
According to a new report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employers were advertising openings for 6.55 million positions in March. The May 8 release adds that 6.59 million Americans were unemployed at that time
Illinois' unemployment rate has hit its lowest level in more than a decade.
Black unemployment is at its lowest point on record, yet it's still well above the jobless rate for white, Hispanic or Asian Americans.
Unemployment on Chicago's West and South Sides is much higher than the national average, but one church is trying to put a dent in that number.
Illinois has more than 48,000 people between the ages of 16 and 24 who are jobless, out of school, and without a high school diploma.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security says the statewide unemployment rate edged up to 5.6 percent in October despite a modest increase in jobs.
A University of Illinois-Chicago study indicates 47 percent of young minority men are unemployed, if they're not in school, far exceeding the national average.
The Altgeld Gardens public housing development on the South Side has been awarded $3 million by the federal government to use to train residents for the workforce and eventual self-sufficiency.
Gov. Bruce Rauner said he's going the offensive in an effort to increase the number of jobs in Illinois.
The Will County Mobile Workforce Center is a mobile home that has been turned into a job center, outfitted with a dozen computers for job seekers to use for writing résumés and fill out job applications online.
Job openings continue to rise at the highest number since 2001 with the Midwest included as one of the largest areas for unemployment declines.
CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports plenty of Chicago retailers are hiring.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and Republican rival Bruce Rauner have both sought to use the state's jobs situation as a political weapon. But their claims and the numbers behind them demonstrate that the picture isn't nearly as clear as either Quinn or Rauner suggests.
While the unemployment rate continues to fall nationally, 42 percent of Americans say the know somebody who has simply given up looking for work, a new poll finds.
More than 567,000 thousand people are unemployed in the Chicago area alone, and many of them were using the day after Christmas to jump on that job search. CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports.
Paul Jenkins says veterans are twice as likely to be unemployed. For disabled veterans, the national rate is at a staggering 88 percent.
It used to be people hung on to their jobs as long as possible, spending decades with the same company. Today, more workers are leaving jobs rapidly. Believe it or not, it's a sign the economy is getting better.
Business is booming so much at Teleperformance that by Sept. 1 they hope to have this 700-station call center operating at full capacity. CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli reports.
Young people right out of college call it a crisis as the unemployment rate among the millennials is high. CBS 2's Jim Williams reports there is a profession with lots of job openings, but the work is very demanding.
A 14-year-old boy was killed in an e-bike crash with an SUV in north suburban Wauconda, police said.
The Illinois Department of Public Health has reported more than 400 confirmed and probable cases of cyclosporiasis, a parasite-borne illness that can cause diarrhea and nausea.
Chicago police this week warned of a pattern of robberies in which the thieves approach the victims in public and rip away their gold necklaces.
One lucky person could get their face on a billboard with legendary actor William Shatner – and it could be you.
The Cook County State's Attorney will not be filing charges in a fatal shooting outside a bar in Lincoln Park that resulted in the bar being shut down Tuesday.
The state Democratic Party is asking Wisconsin's elections commission to allow voters who already returned absentee ballots to cast new ones, after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez dropped out of the governor's race and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley rejoined it.
Speaking live on CBS News Chicago's morning news on Wednesday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson touted an improving economy and falling crime in the city and credited his administration with the success.
Republican candidate for Illinois governor Darren Bailey is calling for greater transparency over nongovernmental organizations that receive at least $10,000 in state grants by making them subject to public records and open meetings requests.
Two independent Latino candidates seeking to run for retiring U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia's seat in Congress won't appear on the ballot in November.
New search data shows "fascism" drew roughly 264,700 monthly searches nationally in 2026, but in Illinois the most-searched word definition was "bias."
Chicago remained the most bed bug-treated city in the country, according to Orkin's latest annual rankings covering a full year of residential and commercial treatment data.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul this week warned residents cleaning up from last month's storms to be on the lookout for scams.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday signed several new consumer protections into law, including a ban on junk fees.
CBS News Chicago has learned that Illinois home insurance premiums are not only higher than the nation's average, but going up faster too.
As an alternative to legalizing video gambling terminals citywide, Bally's offered to open slot machine lounges at O'Hare and Midway, saying the move would replace the $6.8 million the city budgeted from VGTs.
A new Northwestern Medicine study on long COVID shows women show more neurological symptoms than men.
A lettuce supplier to fast-food giant Taco Bell has been linked to a nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak that has sickened thousands of people, the CDC said.
Chicago just barely made the top 20 in the American College of Sports Medicine's 2026 ranking of the country's fittest cities.
In a major turnaround in the opioid crisis, overdose deaths are falling across Chicago and Cook County.
The north Chicago suburb of Glenview became the latest Illinois municipality this week to confirm mosquitoes testing positive for the West Nile virus this year.
The food deserts on Chicago's South and West sides could spread even wider if seven Save A Lot grocery stores close.
Illinois American Water and Aqua Illinois are both seeking rate increases that would raise monthly bills by as much as $28, while their parent companies seek regulatory approval to merge — a deal a consumer watchdog says would give one company control of nearly all regulated water customers in the state.
The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from several states secured a right-to-repair settlement Wednesday with agriculture equipment giant Deere & Co. — commonly known as John Deere — that requires the company to let farmers and independent shops fix their own equipment.
Chicago Soul Café opened Monday at 6248 S. St. Lawrence Ave.
The Chicago Bears this weekend said they are assessing land at Wolf Lake Terminals in Hammond, Indiana, for a possible new stadium.
Iowa announced a fall exhibition game against Kansas at the Field of Dreams ballpark, where major and minor league games have been played since 2021.
Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" is the first film shot entirely on 70mm IMAX cameras, and Cinemark Seven Bridges in Woodridge is 1 of roughly 30 theaters nationwide equipped to show it that way.
Brenda Fricker won an Academy Award for 1989's "My Left Foot," played the Pigeon Lady in "Home Alone 2" and appeared in "A Time to Kill" and "So I Married an Axe Murderer."
The actor's agent said he was providing more information following news reports "which contain inaccuracies and outright falsehoods."
New Zealand actor Sam Neill, known for "Jurassic Park" and "The Piano," died Monday at 78, his family says.
Chicago police this week warned of a pattern of robberies in which the thieves approach the victims in public and rip away their gold necklaces.
A French model recruiter who worked with Jeffrey Epstein was found dead on Monday.
Meteorologist David Yeomans has the extended forecast.
An independent autopsy commissioned by the family of Nolan Wells found his manner and cause of death to be undetermined, attorney Ben Crump announced in Chicago Wednesday.
One lucky person could get their face on a billboard with legendary actor William Shatner – and it could be you.
IDPH reported more than 400 confirmed and probable cases of cyclosporiasis, a parasite-borne illness that can cause diarrhea and nausea.
The Cook County State's Attorney will not be filing charges in a fatal shooting outside a bar in Lincoln Park that resulted in the bar being shut down Tuesday.
Nolan Wells, 18, was found dead just off Horn Island in Mississippi after enjoying a day out with friends on July 4.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson touted an improving economy and falling crime in the city and credited his administration with the success.
A 14-year-old boy was killed in an e-bike crash with an SUV in north suburban Wauconda, police said.
Record heat and major air quality issues created by wildfire smoke were key topics as some of the top climate leaders from around the world gathered in Chicago this week for the Aspen Institute's annual climate summit.
Police say a man and a woman were last seen speaking with the victim before the shooting.
Neighbors in the Avalon Park neighborhood said their community has been plagued by squatters, weeds, rats, and water leaks – all thanks to an abandoned home that's been sitting vacant for years.
Chicago has been feeling the heat this week, with highs in the 90s the past five days, but officials are making moves to cool off some of the hottest parts of the city, specifically Chicago Park District fieldhouses where many turn to keep cool.
Gene Rush survived throat cancer, but he didn't survive a trip to the Porter County Jail over 4th of July weekend. His family said jail staff failed to provide lifesaving medical care.
The Chicago White Sox on Wednesday were set to honor Black baseball pioneers with the Double Duty Classic at Rate Field.
Iowa announced a fall exhibition game against Kansas at the Field of Dreams ballpark, where major and minor league games have been played since 2021.
A night after losing the series opener 10-3, the Rangers (51-50) finished with a season-high 18 hits and avoided falling below .500 for the first time since June 27.
Chicago collected 11 hits while improving to 23-10 in its last 33 games, bouncing back nicely after losing 8-6 in 10 innings in the series opener on Monday night.
Head coach David Braun is excited about what an intimate environment can do for his team.
Chicago police this week warned of a pattern of robberies in which the thieves approach the victims in public and rip away their gold necklaces.
The Cook County State's Attorney will not be filing charges in a fatal shooting outside a bar in Lincoln Park that resulted in the bar being shut down Tuesday.
A bar on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago's Lincoln Park community was shut down by Chicago police Tuesday morning, days after a fight broke out at a party in the bar and led to a fatal shooting.
A man was shot and wounded early Tuesday in the Wentworth Gardens public housing development just south of Rate Field.
Charges were pending Tuesday morning for a man accused of shooting a woman and a Chicago police SWAT officer in Chicago's Albany Park community the day before.