Over 2.4 million more Americans filed for unemployment benefits in the week ending May 16, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the U.S. job market. 

The number of new claimees from last week, 2,438,000, has brought the total since mid-March to a massive 38.6 million.

(Cover: A local restaurant is seen empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in Matawan, New Jersey, U.S., April 1, 2020. /Reuters)