First-time jobless claims down by 10,000 in week

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- First-time unemployment claims dropped by 10,000 to 340,000 in the week that ended Saturday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Thursday.

The four-week rolling average of first-time claims rose by 8,000 to 356,250 in part due to a jump of 66,000 in one week during the 16-day partial U.S. government shutdown.

The previous week's claims total was left unrevised.

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending Oct. 19 were in Kentucky with a gain of 96, Maine with 49 additional claims and Delaware with 45 additional claims.

The largest decreases were in California, down by 13,033, Pennsylvania, down by 3,240, and Maryland, down by 3,222.