Initial claims for unemployment benefits in Illinois increased last week compared to the previous week, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.
New unemployment claims, a measure of layoffs, rose to 8,966 in the week ending Nov. 2, up from 8,735 the week before, the Labor Department said.
U.S. unemployment claims rose to 221,000 last week, an increase of 3,000 claims from 218,000 the week before on a seasonally adjusted basis.
North Dakota saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims increasing 138.0%. The percentage of new claims was the highest in the Virgin Islands: the number of claims fell by 80%.
The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites nationwide, generated from data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s weekly unemployment insurance claims report.
This article originally appeared in State Journal-Register: Unemployment claims in Illinois increased last week
