Unemployment Claims Hit 6.6 Million

For the week ending March 28, jobless benefit claims rose to 6.6 million, marking the “highest level of seasonally adjusted initial claims” that the U.S. has ever seen according to the Labor Department, reports WWD.

The week prior, more than 3 million new claims were made for unemployment benefits.

Many companies have furloughed hundreds of thousands of workers, allowing them to apply for unemployment benefits while remaining on payroll, including Macy’s (Cincinnati), Neiman Marcus (Dallas) and J.C.Penney (Plano, Texas).