The unemployment rate in the United States is surging because of business closures and disruptions related to the coronavirus pandemic.

The U.S. unemployment rate jumped to 14.7 percent in April, the highest level since the Great Depression, as many businesses shut down or severely curtailed operations to try and limit the spread of the deadly coronavirus. From a report: The Labor Department said 20.5 million people abruptly lost their jobs, wiping out a decade of employment gains in a single month. The speed and magnitude of the loss defies comparison. It is roughly double what the nation experienced during the entire 2007-09 crisis. As the virus's rapid spread accelerated in March, President Trump and numerous governors imposed restrictions that led businesses to suddenly shed millions of workers, putting the economy in a deep freeze. Analysts warn it could take many years to return to the 3.5 percent unemployment rate the nation experienced in February in part because it's unclear what a new economy will look like even if scientists make progress on a vaccine, testing, and treatment.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Los Angeles has been touted for implementing a swift stay-at-home order to combat the coronavirus, but those efforts have not come without consequence, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

Erin Ironsides has felt the economic impact of the pandemic first-hand after recently being laid off from the airline she worked for.

Saskatchewan’s unemployment rose to 11.3 per cent in April, according to new numbers released by Statistics Canada.

Here are the latest top Covid-19 stories from around the world.

The message is clear: we must do everything to encourage direct investment in SA - failure to do so will likely see the "pot boiling over", with fiscal shortages (taxes falling short), increased hunger/poverty, civil unrest (and perhaps even civil war).

Signs of Slowing Unemployment

Where is Unemployment Slowing Faster During the...

Signs of Slowing Unemployment

Instant Reaction: Unemployment, May 8, 2020

Manitoba’s unemployment rate nearly doubled between March and April, according to the monthly report from Statistics Canada released Friday morning.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 4.2% in the period between January and March, up from 3.7% for the period between December 2019 and February, the Census & Statistics Department announced today.

The underemployment rate also increased to 2.1% in the period.

Total employment dropped by 48,800 to 3,720,000 while the labour force fell by 20,800 to 3,882,200.

There were 134,100 unemployed people in the period, an increase of 28,100 from the period between December 2019 and February, and the number of underemployed people rose by 23,700 to 82,800.

Secretary for Labour & Welfare Dr Law Chi-kwong said that the labour market further deteriorated as the COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted a wide range of economic activities.

The unemployment rate soared by 0.5 percentage point to 4.2% for the period, the highest in more than nine years, while the underemployment rate likewise surged 0.6 percentage point to 2.1%, the highest in nearly a decade, he said.

The year-on-year declines in total employment and labour force widened further to 3.6% and 2.2%, both the largest on record.

The combined unemployment rate of the consumption and tourism-related sectors of retail, accommodation and food services soared to 6.8%, the highest since the period between August and October in 2009 following the global financial crisis, while the underemployment rate rose to 3.9%, the highest since the period between June and August of 2003 following the onslaught of SARS.

Dr Law added the situation in food and beverage service activities was severe, with the unemployment and underemployment rates surging to 8.6% and 5.4%.

Meanwhile, the unemployment and underemployment rates of the construction sector went up drastically to 8.5% and 7.1% amid a visible slowdown in construction activities.

The unemployment and underemployment situation worsened visibly in the transportation and education sectors as well. Labour market conditions in most other sectors also saw deterioration of various degrees.

Dr Law said: "The labour market will continue to face significant pressure from the economic fallout arising from the pandemic in the near term.

“The Government has rolled out relief measures of unprecedented scale, including the one-off measures in the 2020-21 Budget and the two rounds of measures under the Anti-epidemic Fund totalling $287.5 billion, with a view to preserving the vitality of the economy and relieving people's financial burdens.

“Some specific measures, in particular the Employment Support Scheme and various types of support for specific sectors, should help keep workers in employment.

“The Government will closely monitor the developments, including the progress and effectiveness of the various relief measures.”

The Department of Labor released an FAQ April 27 that addresses common questions about work search and job refusal when an individual receives Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.

The United States economy shed more than 20 million jobs last month, the greatest month-to-month decline in history, the Labor Department said Friday in its monthly employment analysis.

If so, can you do it online? I don't want to catch COVID-19 waiting in some packed line, as I live with an 80 year old.

The COVID-19 crisis has wreaked havoc on Quebec's economy, with the province recording its highest unemployment rate since at least 1976, when the data was first tracked.

Politicians, pundits and other thoughtful westerners chat about the priorities, preoccupations and politics of Albertans and others who are West of Centre in this podcast series hosted by CBC Calgary's executive producer of news, Kathleen Petty.

Bank of Italy Working Papers by Eleonora Porreca and Alfonso Rosolia

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits topped 3 million for a seventh straight week, signaling little relief in sight for the economy since the coronavirus began closing restaurants, factories and offices from coast to coast in mid-March.

Canada shed three million jobs in the last two months due to the coronavirus lockdown, causing the unemployment rate to shoot up to 13% in April, the government reported Friday.

Source: www.nbcnews.com - Saturday, May 09, 2020
The U.S. unemployment rate reached 14.7 percent for April - the worst monthly rate since the Great Depression. The White House has projected optimism, saying they expect the economy to rocket upward once coronavirus restrictions are lifted. But many experts think that is not a realistic expectation.

Source: www.consumeraffairs.com - Friday, May 08, 2020
There are a couple of simple ways to stay ahead of the situation, and there's possible relief for those who can't By Gary Guthrie of ConsumerAffairs May 8, 2020 var myLink = "https://my.consumeraffairs.com/tax-relief/get-matched/"; var mySubTitle = "Get matched with an Accredited Tax Relief Partner"; window.onload = function changeLink(){var linkForm = document.getElementsByClassName("wzrd-wg__form")[0];var titleForm = document.getElementsByClassName("wzrd-wg__sbtl")[0];linkForm.setAttribute("action", myLink);if (mySubTitle != ""){titleForm.innerHTML = " " + mySubTitle + " ";}}; The hits keep on comin'! On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy lost 20.5 million jobs in April, with the unemployment rate at 14.7 percent. Thank you, COVID-19. All told, upwards of 22 million Americans have lost their jobs during the pandemic, forcing many to collect unemployment to make ends meet. For some, a bonus of $600 each week in coronavirus relief is being added on. All that is fine and dandy for now, but most of those check recipients are unaware that they're going to have to pay taxes on that money because the IRS views it as "taxable income." Note: the "economic impact payment" Americans received is NOT taxable. "Most people don't realize it. They're thinking in the moment. They don't have much savings, credit is not great and then come April 15, 2021, you have a big tax bill you're not expecting," Ken Lin, the

Source: www.youtube.com - Thursday, April 30, 2020

DOVER (January 3, 2020): As part of a systems-wide upgrade to State of Delaware banking processes, the Office of State Treasurer Colleen C. Davis and the Department of Labor have announced improvements to unemployment benefit payment distribution. By the end of this month, the state will move unemployment debit cards to the U.S. Bank ReliaCard®, […]

If you’re in state government, you're well aware of the unprecedented challenges that come with off-the-charts unemployment numbers due to COVID-19. Crashing websites at state unemployment insurance offices and multi-hour phone hold times for the millions of people who've lost their income due to the pandemic are only the most [...]

How analytics is helping state governments head off unemployment claims fraud was published on SAS Voices by Carl Hammersburg

In accordance with the Governor’s amended State of Emergency declaration, the Honorable Cerron Cade, Secretary of Labor for the State of Delaware has issued new guidelines to enhance the flexibility of Delaware’s unemployment insurance program to provide cash assistance to many Delaware workers whose employment has been impacted directly by coronavirus [COVID-19] and who would […]

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act recently passed by the United States Congress and signed into law on March 27th provides unemployment assistance to independent contractors and those self-employed who have been affected by the Coronavirus.

The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stability Act (CARES Act) created a new program called Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), which provides 13 weeks of extended unemployment benefits to eligible workers.

Wilmington – Today, May 04, 2020, the Delaware Department of Labor is announcing the launch of a new unemployment insurance benefits system that will process claims for independent contractors, self-employed individuals, and others as detailed in the CARES Act. These individuals can file benefits claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance beginning the week of May 11, […]

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on Friday that the coronavirus shutdown has slashed a record number of jobs from nonfarm payrolls, sending the unemployment rate to record highs.
Read Full Article at RT.com

The Covid-19 pandemic has not only affected the tech sector but also has given a massive blow to the world economy, resulting in massive layoffs and unemployment. Many companies in the US have started downsizing, due to the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Indians with H-1B Visas Getting Laid off Priya K, a techie […]

The post 65,000 Indians With H1B Visa Staring At Unemployment, Deportation, Uncertainty Over Visa Rules first appeared on Trak.in . Trak.in Mobile Apps: Android | iOS.

The COVID-19 lockdown wiped out 20.5 million jobs in the United States in April, destroying nearly all the positions created in the prior decade in the world's largest economy, the Labor Department reported on Friday.

The youth unemployment rate has hit a record-high level in August since the Asian financial crisis. As for the number of net job increase, it fell to a low of 54 months. Even though the government is doing everything it can to create jobs, jobs-related figures won't budge. According to a report "August 2017 Employment Trend" published by the National Statistical Office on September 13, the jobless ratio of those aged between 15 and 29 was 9.4 percent, up 0.1 percentage point from a year ago. ...

Nearly all the job growth achieved during the 11-year recovery from the Global Financial Crisis has now been lost in one month. ......

The deadly coronavirus COVID-19, which has shut down the UN secretariat in New York, along with 32 of its agencies globally, has forced over 37,500 UN staffers worldwide to work from their homes. Asked about a decision to re-open the Secretariat building after nearly a month-long hiatus, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said: “I don’t know. […]

The post As US Unemployment Hits a Staggering 22 Million, Will UN Layoffs Be Far Behind? appeared first on Inter Press Service.

The coronavirus crisis has sent U.S. unemployment surging to 14.7 percent, a level last seen when the country was in the throes of the Depression ...

The Labor Department's monthly employment report also showed the unemployment rate surging to 14.7% last month, shattering the post-World War II record of 10.8% touched in November 1982.

U.S. jobless claims have exceeded 30 million since the coronavirus outbreak hit the country, wiping out a decade of job gains and sending many Americans scrambling to find work and cash in on...

As anticipated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Windsor’s unemployment rate closed in on historic levels in April as it reached 12.9 per cent of the labour force, according to the latest numbers released Friday by Statistics Canada. There were 21,800 people in the Windsor area recorded as being unemployed in the latest StatsCan survey. But […]

BRITAIN'S summer holiday destinations will face some of the biggest economic hits of the coronavirus pandemic with fears of massive job losses in coastal communities, a study has claimed.

More than 20 million Americans lost their jobs in the last month, and unemployment among African-Americans has hit 16.7 percent.

The U.S. economy likely lost a staggering 22 million jobs in April, in what would be the steepest plunge in payrolls since the Great Depression and the starkest sign yet of how the novel coronavirus pandemic is battering the world's biggest economy.

The U.S. economy lost a staggering 20.5 million jobs in April, the steepest plunge in payrolls since the Great Depression, laying bare both the economic and human tragedy wrought by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Unemployment increased by 22,000 to 1.36 million in the three months to February, before the coronavirus pandemic gripped the UK, official figures showed.

Some 26 million people in the US have filed for unemployment benefits in five weeks since with the coronavirus outbreak forcing employers to close their doors.