It is really, really bad. Can they do it?

"The last three weeks have marked one of the most devastating periods in history for the American job market, as first-time claims for unemployment benefits have surged more than 3,000% since early March," wrote Anneken Tappe. "Businesses continue to lay off and furlough workers amid the coronavirus outbreak." "The soaring US unemployment rate might not match the peak of 25% seen during the Great Depression of the 1930s, but it could come uncomfortably close in the next few months," wrote Jeffry Bartash. The unemployment rate could climb to 20%. However, "The official unemployment rate, even one that rises to 15% or higher, might actually underestimate how many people are actually out of work. That's because millions of workers might continue to collect checks from their employers even though they aren't doing anything." "The recently passed $2.2 trillion federal-rescue package effectively pays many companies, particularly small businesses, to keep employees on payrolls and pay them accordingly. Businesses that do so would be allowed to receive government loans they don't need to pay back." The US is like a sprinter at the starting blocks ready to take off as soon as the situation improves. "We have witnessed the world economy coming to a standstill. We are now in a recession. It is way worse than the global financial crisis," said IMF managing director, Kristalina Georgieva. "As the International Labor Organization (ILO) warns of almost 25 million layoffs if the virus isn't controlled" economists at JP Morgan Chase & Co predict that "unemployment in developed markets will jump by 2.7 percentage points by the middle of this year" and "while there will be some healing as economies recover, they still predict elevated unemployment of 4.6% in the US and 8.3% in the euro area by the end of 2021". Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, is a woman, as is Christine Lagarde who is the President of the European Central Bank (ECB), having been replaced as the Managing Director of the IMF by Georgieva. Angela Merkel is Chancellor of Germany, the largest economy in Europe, until 2021. Women control all political parties in Finland, which maybe tiny, but as a member of the European Union has voting power. Lagarde is of the opinion that "whenever the situation is really, really bad, you call in a woman". The situation is "really, really bad". Ideal time to show that they are indeed more capable than the countries run by men -- the US, UK and Australia. On your marks.