//The US faces a historic unemployment crisis

The US faces a historic unemployment crisis

A man in a face mask walks past closed shops in downtown Los Angeles on April 22, 2020. | Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

The week before Biden took office, 1.4 million Americans filed for unemployment.

The day after Joe Biden’s inauguration, America’s unemployment situation looks bleak.

On Thursday, the United States Labor Department released its latest weekly jobless claims numbers, which showed that 900,000 people filed new unemployment claims the week ending January 16 — President Trump’s final full week in office. Additionally, 423,000 people filed new claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), expanded unemployment insurance for freelancers, gig workers, contractors, and the self-employed.

It’s a stark indication of the economic hill the new administration has to climb when it comes to getting desperately needed help to millions of workers. Overall, 16 million people were on unemployment as