Another 4.4 million Americans laid-off from work applied for unemployment benefits last week, as job cuts escalated across the country and the economy, the U.S. Department of Labor reported.

This brings the U.S. unemployment number to more than 26 million in the past five weeks, or roughly 1 in 6 Americans workers without a job - levels last seen during the 1930s.

Few economic forecasters see a long-lasting downturn like the Great Depression, when unemployment remained above 14% between 1931 to 1940. But the numbers could remain high well into 2021.

A survey from the University of Southern California found African Americans (21%) and Latinos (18%) were more likely to lose their jobs, compared to 15% of whites. 

Check out The China Report, our new weekly newsletter. Subscribe here!