4.4 Million More Americans <br />File Jobless Claims The Labor Department <br />released the numbers on Thursday. The five-week total of those <br />who have filed claims since the <br />beginning of the U.S. coronavirus <br />outbreak now exceeds 26.4 million. The addition of 4.4 million jobless claims is more <br />than the 4.3 million claims that were expected. The number represents a <br />loss of all jobs that have been <br />added since the Great Recession. This means that the next unemployment rate <br />to be released by the Labor Department <br />is likely now a staggering 23 percent. The record high unemployment rate set <br />during the Great Depression was 24.9 percent. Analysts noted that <br />810,000 less claims were filed <br />last week than the week prior. Economist Ian Shepherdson
