The number of applications submitted in Michigan during the week ending on March 21 rose to 129,298, an increase of 2,322.2% from the number of applications submitted the previous week and an increase of 2,545.8% from the number of applications submitted the same week last year. The number of claims filed represents 3% of the total workforce of Michigan that is eligible for the unemployment insurance program. Michigan contributed to a national increase in the seasonally-adjusted number of claims of 1,052.9% over the previous week. WDIV’s Hank Winchester covered the increase in unemployment filings this week. The key metric in this data is "initial claims" -- the count of new claims in the UI system -- representing newly unemployed people in a given week of data.