U.S. Unemployment Rescue Left at Least 9 Million Without Help

Half the 64.3 million people who sought help through the regular unemployment program from March 1, 2020, through March 31, 2021, were rejected or not paid, the data show. That’s twice the rate during the Great Recession. Many of them then applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), a program designed by Congress to provide a cushion for gig workers and the self-employed, only to be turned down for that as well.