Jobless claims rocketed higher last week as more states adopted stay-at-home orders, shutting non-essential businesses and forcing temporary furloughs or layoffs of workers as the numbers of COVID-19 virus cases and deaths continue to rise.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers released Thursday morning for the week ending March 28, paint a temporarily grim occupational picture in many industries as the country grapples to control the spread of the virus.

More than 6 million people nationally filed jobless claims in the week that ended March 28, twice as many as the week ending March 21.

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Michigan mirrored the national landscape, with 195,041 new jobless claims from the previous week and pushing the total number of people claiming unemployment to 400,439, according to Labor Department statistics released through the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.

All of Michigan’s 83 counties showed an increase in jobless claims, and the pain was particularly noticeable in the largest counties in southeast Michigan: Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb.

In Wayne County, there were 31,841 new jobless claims for the week ending March 28 compared to March 21. That number was 20,012 in Oakland County and 26,415 in Macomb County.

In all, the total number of unemployment claims for March 28 totalled 71,057 in Wayne County, 43,479 in Oakland County, and 48,511 in Macomb County.

“I think what we’re starting to see now is that companies that were going to retain workers, they’re now laying off those workers,” said Jennifer Llewellyn, manager of Oakland County Workforce Development. “I expect it’ll be a steady increase over the next few weeks.”

Llewellyn said retail, hospitality and restaurant businesses were initially impacted by the spread of the virus and stay-at-home orders, then businesses not considered non-essential were ordered. “Now, we’re getting calls from manufacturers who aren’t producing essential equipment,” she said.

The spike in jobless claims isn’t uniform across all industries, however.

Llewellyn said there has been an increase in available jobs for videographers as resources are shifted online, retail occupations like groceries, and sign language interpreters.

Across Michigan, companies need to fill an estimated 40,000 vacancies to support work during the COVID-19 pandemic, including logistics, healthcare, some manufacturing businesses, and agribusiness, according to the state labor department.

The state operates an employment search engine called Pure Michigan Talent Connect that provides job seekers and employers with an online portal at MiTalent.org to post, search and connect to job openings.

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Thousands of new jobs are being posted to MiTalent.org each day, according to the state, and updated searches have been added to the homepage to call attention to jobs that are in immediate need, both locally and statewide.

But as jobless claims rise, the Michigan League for Public Policy is pushing for structural changes to Michigan’s unemployment system, including a return to a 26-week maximum basic benefit for idled workers. Currently, the maximum is 20 weeks, although that has been extended by executive order as the effects of the virus continue to take an economic toll.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the biggest health and economic crises to ever face our organization, our state and our nation,” said Gilda Z. Jacobs, President and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy. “We commend the state and federal action that has been taken so far, and want to do our part to guide decision-makers as these challenging times and important decisions continue.”

At the federal level, Congress has passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the CARES Act which, in part, provides an additional $600 a week to workers eligible for unemployment in addition to the maximum weekly benefit through July 31. In Michigan, the maximum weekly benefit is $362.

The federal legislation also provided for a 13-week extension of unemployment benefits to workers who exhaust their regular unemployment benefits, and expanded paid sick leave to workers in companies with fewer than 500 employees.

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