BALTIMORE, MD—As the U.S. continues to deal with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, a record number of Marylanders filed for unemployment over the past week.
The U.S. Department of Labor reported on Thursday that 107,408 Maryland residents applied for first-time unemployment benefits for the week ended April 4, 2020. That marks an increase from last week’s record-breaking figure of 83,536.
The Maryland unemployment website has not yet been updated to process claims from so-called “gig worked” who are now eligible to receive unemployment under the CARES Act.
Across the nation, a total of 6,606,000 filed, a decrease of 261,000 from the previous week. The previous week’s level was revised upward by 219,000 from 6,648,000 to 6,867,000.
Maryland’s unemployment insurance fund is funded by the payroll taxes that state employers pay.
