Unemployment claims in Florida declined last week

Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Florida dropped last week compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 6,590 in the week ending November 2, down from 8,371 the week before, the Labor Department said.

U.S. unemployment claims rose to 221,000 last week, up 3,000 claims from 218,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis.

North Dakota saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims jumping by 138.0%. Virgin Islands, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage drop in new claims, with claims dropping by 80%.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s weekly unemployment insurance claims report.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Unemployment claims in Florida declined last week