With added impact from hurricanes Ike and Gustav, workers filled a remarkable 32,000 new claims for unemployment benefits last week. The disastrous storms may be responsible for around 50,000 of total claims, which came in at 493,000 for the week of September 20th. Despite the added effect of the hurricanes, the number of claims ? which is the highest estimate since shortly after the September 11th terrorist attacks ? indicates weak labor market conditions anyway. Economic conditions, the financial industry crisis, and extreme weather disasters have all contributed to the difficulty in finding work.
See "Jobless claims surge as hurricanes hit count", Alister Bull, Reuters, September 24, 2008