ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - About 43,000 people in Maryland filed for unemployment last week for first-time benefits, the state’s labor department reported Thursday.
The state reported that 43,095 people filed last week for unemployment in Maryland. That compares to 48,963 the week before.
In the last 11 weeks, nearly 700,000 people in Maryland have filed for unemployment.
Gov. Larry Hogan has announced the lifting of an order that closed non-essential businesses in response to the coronavirus at 5 p.m. Friday, when the state will start implementing the second stage of its reopening plan.
Nationwide, nearly 1.9 million people applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week.
The total number of people who are receiving jobless aid rose slightly to 21.5 million in the United States, down from a peak of nearly 25 million two weeks ago but still at a historically high level.
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