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Apr 3, 2020

Unemployment rate soars

After almost 9 1/2 years of American payrolls growing month over month, there was a sickening drop in March. And the latest numbers don’t even capture the worst of it. Plus, the history of the U.S. census.

GDP is growing but unemployment claims are still high in this two-tiered economy. — GDP is growing but unemployment claims are still high in this two-tiered economy.
Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images

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Segments From This Episode

Jobs report shows even early March saw severe economic damage from COVID-19
by Mitchell Hartman
Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images
We’re already seeing the biggest one-month rise in unemployment since 1975.
Tracing the history of the census, at a time when 2020 operations are suspended
by David Brancaccio and Candace Manriquez Wrenn
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The 2020 census was planning to deploy up to 500,000 census takers to follow up with households that didn’t respond online or by mail.

Music from the episode

The Team

David Brancaccio Host
Victoria Craig Host, BBC
Stephen Ryan Senior Producer, BBC
Jonathan Frewin Producer, BBC
Daniel Shin Producer
Jay Siebold Technical Director
Meredith Garretson Morbey Senior Producer
Alex Schroeder Producer
Erika Soderstrom Producer
Rose Conlon Producer
Brian Allison Technical Director

Unemployment rate soars