New Jersey’s Labor Department says unemployment claims jumped nearly 9% last week compared with the prior seven days.

New Jersey’s job market, like the country’s, continues to feel effects from the COVID-19 outbreak with more than 28,000 people seeking jobless benefits last week, up from nearly 26,000.

Labor officials say there have been more than 1.4 million claims in the state since the virus first broke out here in March. So far, state officials say they’ve paid out a $12.4 billion in state and federal benefits over 19 weeks.