U.S. Jobless Claims Jump to Two-Year High Amid Closures (3)

Filings for U.S. unemployment benefits surged last week to a two-year high as the coronavirus pandemic forced employers to start laying off workers.

Jobless claims rose by 70,000 to 281,000 in the week ended March 14, according to Labor Department figures released Thursday. That’s the biggest one-week increase since the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

The two western states with the biggest outbreaks saw the biggest jump in claims, which more than doubled in Washington to almost 15,000 on an unadjusted basis as California’s climbed by more than a third to more than 58,000. Nevada, where the Las ...