US weekly jobless claims hit record high as experts hint at recession

The government's weekly report, the most timely data on the economy's health, offered the clearest evidence yet that the longest employment boom in U.S. history probably ended in March

The number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits last week shot to a record high for a second week in a row - topping 6 million - as more jurisdictions enforced stay-at-home measures to curb the coronavirus pandemic, which economists say has pushed the economy into recession.

Initial claims for unemployment benefits rose to 6.65 million in the latest week from an unrevised 3.3 million the previous week, the U.S. Labor Department said on Thursday.