Jobless Claims Up

 

Nov. 2, 2006 -- New claims for unemployment benefits surged by 18,000 to 327,000 last week, the sharpest gains in four months, the Labor Department reported today.

The total number of jobless claims across the country in the week ending Oct. 21 was 2.42 million, the report said.

The biggest rise in new claims were in Illinois, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, the report said.

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