Last week in North Carolina there was a rise in initial filings for unemployment benefits compared to the prior week reported the U.S. Department of Labor. New jobless claims, which reflect layoffs, increased to 2,783 for the week ending December 2, which is up from 1,915 the previous week. The unemployment claims for the whole of the U.S also saw an increase from 219,000 to 220,000 the previous week on a seasonally adjusted basis. It was observed that the largest percentage increase of weekly claims occurred in the Virgin Islands, with a spectacular rise of 1438.9%. Conversely, Delaware saw the largest drop in new claims, as they fell by 61.4%.

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The localized versions of this story are being published on news sites across the country within the USA TODAY Network, utilizing data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s weekly unemployment insurance claims report. The original version of this article first appeared in The Shelby Star .