60K More Jobless Nevada Residents Seek Unemployment Benefits

Federal figures show 60,000 more Nevadans filed for unemployment benefits last week. The new unemployment claims mean more than 300,000 out-of-work people have sought benefits since casinos and businesses closed in mid-March amid the spread of the coronavirus.

A U.S. Department of Labor report on Thursday came as state officials report at least 137 people have died from COVID-19 in Nevada.

On Wednesday, officials said the Nevada jobless rate jumped to 6.3% in March. That’s up from all-time lows of 3.6% in January and February.

The state jobless office is hiring more workers to try to reduce wait times for people seeking benefits.