Americans file 2.4 million jobless claims

The number of Americans claiming unemployment benefits rose again last week as, pointing to another month of staggering job losses in May.

Fred Katayama reports.

Data out Thursday show 2.4 million more Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week.

That’s roughly the size of the city of Houston.

The latest figures push the nine-week tally north of 38 million.

Although the number is staggering, weekly claims have been gradually declining since hitting a record 6.9 million in the last week of March.

Still, economists say the claims number remains high because states have begun processing applications for gig workers and many others trying to access federal government benefits.

The broad shutdown of the country in mid-March has resulted in the worst unemployment since the Great Depression.

The economy lost a record 20.5 million jobs in April, and Thursday's data points to yet another month of steep job losses in May.