The Labor Department reported Thursday that 281,000 people applied for jobless benefits this past week—a 33 percent more than the previous week.
The Coronavirus outbreak has had a devastating impact on the job market and economy, resulting in individuals getting laid off at an unprecedented pace. According to The Washington Post, over a million U.S. workers are expected to lose their jobs by the end of March. With governments urging citizens to stay indoors and self-quarantine for the foreseeable future, countless individuals who cannot afford to work from their homes are now facing unemployment. The Labor Department reported on Thursday that 281,000 people applied for jobless benefits this past week—a 33 percent more than the previous week—and economists predict that the situation will only get worse.
People who get laid off are calling in hundreds of times and clicking through the website for days without getting through because unemployment offices aren't prepared.
— Dan Price (@DanPriceSeattle) March 20, 2020
That's no accident. The U.S. gov't cut unemployment funding 30% in the last 20 yearshttps://t.co/GI4jiPxcVi
This stark reality was recently laid bare in a Reddit thread after user u/greensypoop asked fellow Redditors who've lost their jobs due to the ongoing crisis to share their stories. As bleak as the statistics shared by industry experts are, these first-hand accounts of individuals like you and me paint a darker picture of the state of the world today. With no confirmation as to when or if they will be called back to their previous jobs, thousands of families now struggle to figure out how they will survive. Here are some of the responses:
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