La. claims for jobless benefits jump

First-time claims for jobless benefits rose 9.6% last week in Louisiana. The Louisiana Workforce Commission says there were 3,567 initial unemployment filings for the week ending Sept. 17. That’s up from the previous week’s total of 3,256. For the comparable week ending Sept. 18, 2010, there were 4,018 claims. The four-week moving average of claims decreased last week to 3,587 from the previous week’s average of 3,629. Those still looking for work filed for an additional 44,259 weeks of benefits last week—up from the previous week’s 43,900. For the comparable week of 2010, the jobless filed for an extra 52,016 weeks of benefits.