Another 1.9 million Americans filed initial unemployment claims the week ending May 30, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Since the start of the coronavirus shutdowns, a staggering 42.6 million jobless claims have been filed—greater than the combined population of America’s 22 smallest states.
That marks 11 straight week of unemployment claims above 1 million, a period of job-destruction without precedent in modern American economic history.