More than 114,000 workers in Illinois filed first-time unemployment claims in the week ending March 21 as the United States saw its biggest one-week spike in recorded history with 3.2 million workers filing for benefits.
 
The U.S. Department of Labor said the seasonally-adjusted number was due entirely to the COVID-19 outbreak, which has forced bars and restaurants to close, halted public gatherings and severely restricted travel across the country. The department said economists typically expect to see a decline in new jobless claims during the third week of March.
 
First-time unemployment claims soared in Illinois to more than 114,000 during the third week of March as businesses closed their doors in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
 Illinois Department of Employment Security  
 
The previous national record of 695,000 initial claims in one week was set in October 1982.
 
The total number of new claims in Illinois last week was 114,663, a 950-percent jump over the previous week and a 1,338-percent increase over the same week last year when there were only 7,933 new unemployment claims.
 
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