Coronavirus pandemic
The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

U.S. now has 22 million unemployed, wiping out a decade of job gains

Last week, 5.2 million people filed unemployment claims, bringing the total to 22 million in the four weeks since President Trump declared a national emergency

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April 16, 2020 at 7:16 p.m. EDT
Over 10 million Americans filed for unemployment in March. Here are some of their stories. (Video: The Washington Post)

More than 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment aid since President Trump declared a national emergency, a staggering loss of jobs that has wiped out a decade of employment gains and pushed families to line up at food banks as they await government help.

The United States has not seen this level of job loss since the Great Depression, and the government is struggling to respond fast enough to the deadly coronavirus health crisis and the widespread economic pain it has triggered.