U.S. layoffs soared in March to a record high of 11.4 million after state and local governments closed restaurants, bars, movie theaters and other nonessential businesses as the viral outbreak intensified.
The Labor Department said Friday that job openings plunged, and hiring also fell sharply, though those changes weren’t nearly as dramatic as layoffs, which rose more than six-fold.
The number of available jobs fell nearly 12% to 6.2 million.
The number of hires declined 13%, to 5.2 million.
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