Initial claims for unemployment benefits in Massachusetts rose last week compared to the week before, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.
New unemployment claims, a measure of layoffs, rose to 6,533 in the week ending Nov. 22, up from 5,924 the week before, the Labor Department said.
U.S. unemployment claims fell to 213,000 last week, down 2,000 claims from 215,000 the week before on a seasonally adjusted basis.
North Dakota saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims increasing 74.0%. South Carolina, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage decline in new claims, with claims down 40.7%.
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 the Standard-Times: Unemployment claims in Massachusetts increased last week