WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans sought unemployment benefits last week. But the number of those seeking aid is down sharply this year.
Below are the states with the biggest changes in weekly claims for unemployment benefits and some of the reasons for the shifts. The state-by-state data are for the week that ended July 13, one week behind the national data.
States with the biggest drops in claims:
—Michigan: Down 11,969, due to fewer layoffs by manufacturers.
—New York: Down 4,743, due to fewer layoffs in the transportation, educational services and health care and social assistance industries
—New Jersey: Down 4,477, due to fewer layoffs in the educational services, transportation and warehousing and hotels and food services
—Ohio: Down 2,501, due to fewer layoffs by manufacturers.
—Kentucky: Down 2,163, no reason given
—Wisconsin: Down 1,009, no reason given
States with the biggest increases in claims:
—Georgia: Up 7,027, due to layoffs in manufacturing, administrative and support services, hotels and food services, trade and the construction industries
—California: Up 6,799, due to layoffs the retail, service and wholesale trade industries
—Texas: Up 6,001, no reason given
—Alabama: Up 5,846, due to layoffs in the transportation and manufacturing industries
—Tennessee: Up 3,820, due to layoffs in the transportation, manufacturing, administrative and support services and educational services industries
—South Carolina: Up 3,543, due to layoffs in manufacturing
—Florida: Up 3,073, due layoffs in the agriculture, construction, wholesale trade, retail trade and service industries
—Indiana: Up 2,426, due to layoffs in manufacturing
—Pennsylvania: Up 2,212, due to layoffs in the professional, scientific, technical service and construction industries
—Oregon: Up 1,956, no reason given
—Arizona: Up 1,763, no reason given
—Louisiana: Up 1,680, no reason given
—Virginia: Up 1,286, due to layoffs in manufacturing
—North Carolina: Up 1,160, due to layoffs in hotels and food services and manufacturing