Government Employees: Labor Department

Labor Department: Initial claims for state unemployment benefits jumped by 32,000 to a seasonally adjusted 360,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. That was the biggest jump since November and confounded analysts' expectations for a more modest increase, according to Reuters. A Labor Department analyst said no states had estimated their data, and that there were no signs furloughs for government employees played a significant role in last week's increase in claims and WASHINGTON - The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits climbed last week at the fastest pace in six months, a worrisome sign for the economy which has been hit by government austerity. Claims for the prior week were revised to show 5,000 more applications received than previously reported. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.