Coronavirus impact: Now 33.5 mn seek unemployment benefits in US

Millions more Americans sought unemployment benefits last week, suggesting layoffs broadened from consumer-facing industries to other segments of the economy and could remain elevated even as many parts of the country start to reopen.

The deepening economic crisis triggered by nationwide lockdowns to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus was underscored by other data on Thursday showing worker productivity dropped at its fastest pace in more than four years in the first quarter amid the largest drop in hours since 2009.

The reports support many economists' belief that the economic slump could persist for a while. The economy shrank in the