Workers in California and across the nation lost their jobs in record-setting numbers last week, according to a report released Thursday detailing a brutal increase in unemployment that highlights how the coronavirus fallout has jolted the economy.

The jaw-dropping number of new unemployment claims filed last week in California totaled nearly 879,000 — the largest number of claims filed in more than half a century. The weekly total was nearly five times greater than the 186,000 jobless claims filed statewide in the week of March 21, the U.S. Labor Department reported.

The numbers are surging daily.

“Over 1.9 million Californians have applied for unemployment insurance since March 12,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday at a news briefing to announce state government efforts to help small businesses and newly unemployed workers. “The economic consequences are profound.”

New jobless claims in the United States totaled 6.65 million, also a grim new record and more than double the 3.31 million that were filed during the week that ended on March 21, officials said.

“We don’t want to minimize what’s happening, but scary unemployment numbers are to be expected,” said veteran economist Christopher Thornberg, a founding partner with Beacon Economics, which tracks regional economies in California. “That is what we are seeing now, scary numbers.”

Monica Morris-Aranda, a Mountain View resident, recently was furloughed from her job at a high-end Palo Alto steakhouse, after a long stretch of steady work.

“It’s very jarring,” Morris-Aranda said. “I was not fully prepared for something like this, which is probably the case for millions of Americans.”

She recalled that recently, the restaurant managers had given guidelines for social distancing in a way that would allow the staff to wait on guests. But just two days later, the restaurant told employees that the eating establishment would close its doors, with no firm date to reopen. Under the county’s stay-at-home ordinance, restaurants are no longer allowed to serve sit-down meals.

“I do have some money set aside for this,” Morris-Aranda said. “I know that in a week or so help is on the way from unemployment benefits.”

The national and state numbers are not directly comparable because the national numbers have been adjusted for seasonal variations, while the state numbers have not.

The unemployment rate in California will soon top the 12.3 percent peak reached in 2010 in the wake of the Great Recession, said Jeffrey Michael, director of the Stockton-based Business Forecasting Center at the University of the Pacific. As recently as February, the state boasted a record low unemployment rate; the rate has not been recalculated since the current round of layoffs began.

With California and other states ordering residents to shelter in place to stem the spread of the virus, numerous businesses have closed their doors and furloughed workers temporarily — or permanently.

“The economy is going to rebound strongly, but there will be lasting economic damage from the coronavirus, some permanent damage,” Michael said. “Not every business will come out of hibernation and get back to normal. And we don’t even know when the hibernation period will end.”

Some economic models suggest the rebound could be swift, so long as much of the business that is now being lost is activity that is only deferred, rather than lost permanently.

“The economy is going to bounce back,” Thornberg said.

To help bolster an eventual recovery, Gov. Newsom on Thursday unveiled the onwardca.org/ web site, which was established to quickly assist people to locate jobs.

“You can see if we can match you up with a job,” the governor said. Newsom noted that hiring is active in health care, agriculture, logistics, and grocery stores.

The governor said he will rely on a task force to chart a path to a fully functional economy statewide.

Ahead of that effort, the governor said small businesses impacted by the coronavirus can apply for a loan from the federal government of up to $10 million, starting Friday.

Small businesses in the state with less than $5 million in taxable sales will be able to defer up to $50,000 in sales and use taxes, Newsom said. The state also is providing a 90-day extension for small businesses to file their taxes if the returns were under $1 million. And the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank has established a $50 million fund for loan guarantees to help steer capital to individuals who normally wouldn’t qualify for federal funding amid the coronavirus woes.

Plus, state officials noted that the U.S. Small Business Administration is making available a paycheck protection program connected to the coronavirus situation.

“SBA will forgive loans if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest, or utilities,” according to an SBA web page.

“We recognize that people are feeling a deep anxiety” as they face payments on an array of expenses, including food, rent, mortgages and child care,” Gov. Newsom said. The governor said staffing and resources have been diverted to help the state Employment Development Department handle what one EDD staffer described about a week ago as an “avalanche” of jobless claims.

Morris-Aranda is concerned about what the future holds while she waits for unemployment payments and wonders when the restaurant might open again.

“I’ve been trying to keep busy, but now I’m struggling with what to do with the sheltering in place,” Morris-Aranda said, “I’m also worried about the people I work with, because some of them are undocumented, and a lot of them don’t have the resources I have.”