More people sought unemployment benefits last week, evidence that layoffs are rising and the job market is weak.
Applications for unemployment benefits rose by 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 418,000, the Labor Department said Thursday.
Here are the states with the biggest changes in applications. The data is for the week ending July 9, one week behind the national data.
States with the biggest increases:
New York: Up 20,599, due to layoffs in education-related services and transportation
Minnesota: Up 9,681, due to layoffs stemming from the state government shutdown
Michigan: Up 9,030, due to layoffs in the auto and service industries
Florida: Up 7,544, due to layoffs in services, agriculture, construction, manufacturing and retail
Ohio: Up 5,839, due to layoffs in autos and manufacturing
Indiana: Up 2,932, due to layoffs in manufacturing and services
States with the biggest decreases:
California: Down 15,751, due to fewer layoffs in services
New Jersey: Down 7,486, due to fewer layoffs in education and retail
Massachusetts: Down 3,008, due to fewer layoffs in transportation and services
Illinois: Down 1,399, no reason given
Connecticut: Down 1,316, no reason given
Rhode Island: Down 1,077, due to fewer layoffs in manufacturing and services
