'I always thought this was a safe industry': Hospitality workers in Miami and New York share their unemployment stories
- Restaurants, hotels, and event venues have shut their doors to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
- Business Insider Today spoke to two women who worked in the hospitality industry and are among the 10 million who filed for unemployment in the last two weeks of March.
- View more episodes of Business Insider Today on Facebook.
Weddings have been canceled, bars have stopped purring drinks, and many restaurants have shut their doors.
Hospitality is one of the many industries disrupted by the spread of the coronavirus.
The restaurant industry specifically has lost more than 3 million jobs since March 1, according to a survey by the National Restaurant Association representing more than 500,000 restaurant businesses.
Business Insider Today spoke to two women who recently lost their jobs in hospitality and are among the millions that filed for unemployment - a New York City bartender and an event planner from Miami who's watched the tourism scene dry up.
The Labor Department reported on Thursday that 6.6 million people filed for unemployment insurance in the week that ended April 4. Previously, it was reported that a record 10 million people filed for benefits during the last two weeks of March. That brings the total of people who filed for unemployment in the three-week period to roughly 16.8 million.
See the women's experiences on Business Insider Today »
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