Continuing recent national trends, the number of people applying for jobless benefits rose last week amid economic difficulties throughout the country. The Labor Department reported Thursday that new applications filed for unemployment insurance increased by 18,000 (when seasonally adjusted) to 366,000 for the week ending July 12. That left new claims at their highest level since late June, when they peaked at 404,000. Cautious employers have cut jobs for six months straight bringing total job losses to 438,000 so far this year, the government reported earlier this month.
See "Number of newly laid-off people grows amid economic slowdown", Jeannine Aversa, Minneapolis Star Tribune, July 16, 2008