INDIANAPOLIS — The economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic continues to force Hoosiers into unemployment.
The drastic rise in unemployment began in the week of March 21, when nearly 60,000 Hoosiers applied for unemployment benefits. The number more than doubled in the next week, to nearly 140,000.
The number of Hoosiers applying for unemployment has stayed at more than 100,000 for three consecutive weeks, though it’s started to slowly decrease.
Last week, more than 118,000 Hoosiers applied for unemployment benefits. That means almost 450,000 people in Indiana have applied for benefits in one month.
According to WalletHub, Indiana has felt the sixth largest increase in unemployment due to the coronavirus since the crisis started. The study found the following states worse off than Indiana:
- New Hampshire
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Virginia
- Georgia