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New Jersey has paid out $5.2 billion in unemployment to the roughly 1.2 million New Jersey residents who’ve filed for jobless benefits since the COVID-19 pandemic slammed into the state in early March.

New jobless claims have plummeted in recent weeks, the state labor department said Thursday.

During the week ending May 30, another 25,632 New Jerseyans filed for jobless benefits, and 33,290 residents the week before, according to Thursday data from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Those jobless numbers come as New Jersey enters week 11 of a virtual state shutdown meant to halt the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

All told, roughly 42 million Americans have found themselves out of work since March. In New Jersey, the state’s unemployment rate soared to a record 15.3 percent, according to its Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

That’s the highest unemployment rate in the state since the 1970s, when the nation was roiled by the global energy crisis.

Thursday’s updated numbers are the lowest since early March—raw unemployment claims peaked at 214,836 claims during the week ending April 4.

“There are fewer people to be unemployed in those sectors,” said Brandon McKoy, president of the progressive advocacy group New Jersey Policy Perspective. “We have fewer people who are still in a position … to be unemployed right now.”

The unemployment system has been plagued with endless complaints about weeks of delays before jobless benefits are issued and outdated technology, and claimants have been critical about difficulties with getting in touch with a live human being to assist with their claim.

As of June 4, the state paid out $1.8 billion in jobless benefits, with $3 billion from the federal government. Another $334 million was paid out to freelancers and independent contractors under the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program.

State labor officials said that the 70,000 workers who’ve gone through their benefits were told to begin certifying for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, which adds 13 weeks of jobless benefits.

During the week ending May 30, only 7,000 New Jersey workers certified for benefits.

“This pandemic has been especially difficult financially for claimants who had exhausted their unemployment benefits before it hit, and had to greatly reduce their work search because of the health crisis,” Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo said Thursday in a statement.

“We are proud to launch the PEUC program in New Jersey so we can deliver much-needed economic relief to these claimants. While we continue to make important strides in serving our customers, we won’t rest until every eligible claimant receives every penny they deserve,” he said.

The state is now slowly reopening. Restaurants, bars and nonessential retail can resume services, with limitations on June 15 and salons on June 22, followed by gyms and fitness centers.