Over 100,000 new unemployment claims filed in Georgia over the last week, data shows

The number of people who filed for unemployment benefits in Georgia and across the United States increased exponentially last week, with 132,386 new claims filed in Georgia and 6,648,000 claims across the country, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor.

In Georgia, that’s more than 10 times as many claims than the week prior, when new unemployment claims received by the state totaled 12,140.

U.S. unemployment claims more than doubled in the same time span, increasing from 3,283,000, and setting a new record for the number of claims filed in a single week.

The stimulus bill adopted last week by the federal government has allowed more Americans to file for unemployment than are typically allowed, such as gig-economy workers and independent contractors.

Information about how to file for unemployment due to impacts of COVID-19 can be found at the Georgia Department of Labor’s website, dol.ga.gov.

This story was originally published April 2, 2020 at 11:13 AM with the headline "Over 100,000 new unemployment claims filed in Georgia over the last week, data shows."