The country is witnessing a high amount of mass layoffs across several industries in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak. Last week, 3.3 million Americans filed for unemployment, the highest number in history. Economists anticipate a 20 percent unemployment rate in the United States and some cities are already feeling the impact of these layoffs. In New York City, Latinos are facing more layoffs than their peers.

Latinos in New York City are facing higher levels of unemployment caused by COVID-19.

MSNBC Legal Analyst Maya Wiley tweeted about the foreseeable disproportionate impact these layoffs would have on minority communities. The tweet is ringing true as 41 percent of Latinos in NYC have been laid off from their jobs in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy of the City University of New York conducted a survey with 1,000 participants. The survey found that roughly 4 out of every 10 Latinos in NYC have lost their job or someone in their household lost their job due to the health crisis. The survey found that 24 percent of white and Asian employees and 15 percent of Black employees reported losing jobs.

“It’s likely because the Hispanic community, many are in service jobs like restaurants or hotels,” Professor Scott Ratzan, a senior scholar at CUNY SPH, who led the survey, said in a statement. “We do the survey in English and Spanish, and [job loss is] higher among the Spanish-speaking community.” 

New York is the hardest-hit state in the U.S. with more than 30,000 confirmed cases of the virus.

New York state is facing the most extreme outbreak of the novel coronavirus when compared to the rest of the country. Governor Andrew Cuomo delivers an address to the media every morning and has told New Yorkers to brace for a serious viral outbreak. More than 30,000 New Yorkers have tested positive for COVID-19 and 325 deaths. Around 20,000 of those cases and about 280 of those deaths are in NYC.

Gov. Cuomo shared data that showed how the measures New York has taken to slow the spread is contributing to a slowing hospitalization rate. According to The New York Times, the hospitalization rate in New York state is slowing. On Sunday, the governor shared stat showing the rate doubling every two days. By Thursday, new data shows the hospitalization rate doubling every 4.7 days.

There are resources available for New Yorkers who are losing their jobs during the outbreak.

Some New Yorkers are reporting some delays in getting a hold of people in the unemployment offices. While the waits are long, it is worth being persistent.

According to NYC Emergency Management, there are several options for people who are being laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unemployment assistance is available to everyone in New York state and the state has waived the 7-day wait period to alleviate the added pressures of COVID-19. Employees should know about the Shared Work program offered as an alternative to worker layoffs that provides some income assistance while workers have to work a reduced schedule.

The Office of Nightlife is also asking nightlife employees to fill out a survey about lost income in an attempt to help contractors, performers, workers, and business owners impacted by the closures.

READ: Latinas Are Sharing How They Protect Their Loved Ones From Coronavirus