WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday first-time claims for jobless benefits fell by 3,000 in the week ending Dec. 18.
The four-week rolling average of initial unemployment benefit claims rose by 2,500 to 423,500.
Nationwide, the unemployment rate jumped from 9.6 percent to 9.8 percent in November as an increase in jobs failed to match the increased size of the workforce.
The Labor Department said the biggest increases in claims for the week ending Dec. 11 were reported by Kentucky with 1,680 additional claims, California, which added 1,202, and Iowa, which added 1,154.
For the week ending Dec. 11, the biggest decrease was reported by New York with a decline of 12,355, followed by North Carolina with a decline of 9,951 and Georgia with a decline of 8,315.
