The number of unemployment claims filed in Colorado last week increased by over 17,000 claims from the prior week, according to seasonally unadjusted numbers from the U.S. Department of Labor. 

According to the data, 19,429 Coloradans filed for unemployment in the week that ended March 21, up from 2,321 in the prior week.

A record 3.3 million Americans filed unemployment claims last week as states ordered “non-essential” businesses to temporarily close and companies laid off workers.

“This marks the highest level of seasonally adjusted initial claims in the history of the seasonally adjusted series. The previous high was 695,000 in October of 1982,” the DOL said.

The data does not include the number of unemployment claims filed this week, which in Colorado saw a stay-at-home order issued and the number of coronavirus cases surpass 1,000.

A report released this week by the Common Sense Policy Roundtable projected Colorado could lose 180,000 jobs if there’s a 50 percent loss of sales for four industries.