Jobless claims increase
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February 22, 2001: 9:02 a.m. ET
Unemployment filings rise by 4,000 last week after previous week's decline
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - New claims for state unemployment benefits rose by 4,000 last week, the U.S. government reported Thursday, after dropping slightly in the previous week.
The number of new claims climbed to 348,000 for the week ended Feb. 17 from a revised 344,000 the prior week, the Labor Department reported.
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OHIO LEADS THE INCREASE
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Ohio reported the largest increase in claims, up by 6,783.
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Economists polled by Briefing.com had expected 345,000 claims for the period.
The four-week moving average of claims, which smoothes out week-to-week fluctuations, rose to 350,750 in the week ended Feb. 17 from 341,500 the prior week.
Continued claims were reported at 2,503,000 for the week ended Feb. 3, the latest data available, up from a revised 2,366,000 the week prior.
Ohio reported the largest increase in claims, up by 6,783, due to increased layoffs in the transportation equipment industry.
Other big weekly increases occurred in Delaware, up 1,929; California, up 1,464; Tennessee, up 1,355; and Massachusetts, up by 717.
The states and territories with the biggest declines in jobless claims were Michigan, down 13,062; Georgia, down 2,623, Oklahoma, down 2,495; Puerto Rico, 2,202; and Virginia, down 2,170.
-- from staff and wire reports
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