In part a result of significant manufacturing layoffs in six states, initial claims for unemployment benefits nationwide increased to a seasonally adjusted 327,000 last week, an increase of 18,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 309,000, the U.S. Labor Department reported on Nov. 2.
The department's four-week moving average of initial claims also rose, increasing to 311,250, an increase of 5,750 claims from the previous week's revised average of 305,500.
The unemployment claims report comes just one day before the Labor Department releases October employment figures, the final jobs report before Nov. 7's mid-term elections.
