SEATTLE, Wash. — The number of people seeking unemployment benefits in Washington set a new record last week.
The latest numbers released by the state Employment Security Department showed 181,975 new claims for unemployment benefits were filed with the state during the week of March 22, a 41% increase over the previous week’s prior record of 128,962 new claims.
The job losses come as tens of thousands of people working in non-essential businesses file new claims due to the continued coronavirus closures.