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ATLANTA - Atlanta reached an all-time high unemployment rate in April amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday Atlanta’s unemployment rate spiked last month, breaking its previous all-time high of 10.6 percent set in February 2010.
“Although we are seeing all-time high unemployment rates across a majority of the state, we are continuing to work with employers on effective strategies to get Georgians back to work in both a safe and economically efficient way,” said Butler.
RELATED: How to file for unemployment in Georgia if your job has been impacted by COVID-19
Atlanta's unemployment rate increased 8.3 percentage points in April, reaching 12.7 percent. One year ago, the rate was 3 percent.
The number of unemployment claims went up by 324 percent in April.
Click here to read more about Atlanta's latest unemployment numbers
Nationally, about 2.1 million people applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, a sign that companies are still slashing jobs in the face of a deep recession even as more businesses reopen and rehire some laid-off employees.
MORE: 41 million have lost jobs since virus hit, but layoffs slow
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