A mixed number on jobless claims
A Labor Department report released today showed that the number of new applications for unemployment benefits dropped by 24,000 this past week, though this is due in part to the shortened holiday week. However, the number of people continuing to claim jobless benefits rose by 101,000, indicating that laid-off employees are having difficulties finding new work. The total number of those continuing to claim jobless benefits has risen to 4.61 million, above the number predicted by analysts, and the highest since November 1982. Figures to be released Friday are expected to show a year-end job loss total of 2.4 million, the first annual loss since 2001, and the largest total since 1945. Three states reported this week that their online filing systems had crashed due to the volume of first-time filers. These filers will not appear in the numbers until next week.
See "A mixed number on jobless claims", The New York Times, January 7, 2009