The number of unemployed people in the United States of America hit 20.5 million in April, according to the US Labor Department.
The unemployment rate there rose to 14.7% - the highest rate and the largest over-the-month increase in the history of the series.
The department said the changes "reflect the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and efforts to contain it."
It said employment fell sharply "in all major industry sectors" - with particularly heavy job losses in leisure and hospitality.
Employment in leisure and hospitality plummeted by 7.7 million, or 47%.
Employment declined by 2.5 million in education and health services, the retail trade shed 2.1 million jobs and manufacturing employment dropped by 1.3 million.
The rate was 13.0% for adult men, 15.5% for adult women and 31.9% for teenagers.
The number of unemployed persons who reported being on temporary layoff increased about 10-fold to 18.1 million last month.
While the number of permanent job losers increased by 544,000 to 2.0 million.
US Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia said: "Today's report reflects the massive impact that measures to contain the coronavirus have had on the American workforce.
"This employment situation is exceptionally fluid.
"We know that today's data reflect neither the additional layoffs that occurred in late April and early May, nor the employees beginning to return to work in some states.
"We also know that, by re-opening safely, we have the capacity to avoid permanent job losses for the overwhelming percent of Americans who, the report shows, currently view their job loss as temporary."
