The number of newly unemployed people seeking jobless benefits in Louisiana climbed to 5,302 for the week ending Saturday, up from 4,357 the previous week. That broke a five-week string of declining unemployment claims. The Louisiana Workforce Commission says the increase was spread through several industry sectors, including construction, wood products manufacturing and health care. For the comparable week ending Sept. 6, 2008, the initial claims were 2,808.
Continuing claims for the week ending Sept. 5 decreased to 61,400 from the previous week’s total of 61,716. For the comparable week a year ago, the figure was 27,836.
