That's led to an increase in unemployment filings both nationwide and in California. It's a trend that's likely to continue.
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Nationwide, the number of unemployment claims filed during the week ending March 14, increased by 25%from the previous week. That is also a28%increase compared to the same time last year, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor's weekly unemployment insurance data.
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California saw an increase more significant than the national average: a rise of 34% from 43,385 in the first week of March to 58,208 in the second. That's 42% more than the same time last year.
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California Employment Development Department public information officer, Barry White, confirmed this increase in an email.
"There has been a huge spike in the number of claims coming in from impacted Californians," wrote White. "The EDD is applying a variety of strategies to direct as many staff resources as possible to keep up with the increase claim load."
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