More than 103,000 Massachusetts workers filed initial unemployment claims last week, a drop from prior weeks but still an unusually high number illustrating how many people have been put out of work.
The amount that filed for unemployment last week — 103,040 — was 14 times higher than the number of filed claims the week before government-mandated shutdowns of businesses and schools began in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus.
The number for the week ending April 11 is nonetheless an improvement from the prior three weeks, according to new U.S. Department of Labor data that is not seasonally adjusted. For the week ending April 4, 139,647 filed such claims, giving last week a 26% drop. The number peaked in the week ending March 28 at 181,032.
Retail has had the most unemployment claims in Massachusetts, according to the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. The sector reported 15,534 claims in the week ending April 11.
In food and accommodation, 12,634Â claims were filed, followed by 12,597Â in health and social assistance, and 7,881Â in construction.
National numbers remained sky high, albeit also at lesser levels than prior weeks. Last week’s national claims were just under 5 million when not seasonally adjusted, compared to 6.2 million the prior week. That represented a 20% improvement.
