The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level in seven years last week, a sign the job market is steadily improving. Applications dropped 24,000 to 297,000, the fewest since May 12, 2007, the Labor Department said.
Here are the states with the biggest increases and decreases in applications. The data is for the week that ended March 1, one week behind the national figures:
States with the biggest decreases:
New York: Down 20,637, due to fewer layoffs in transportation and warehousing, restaurants, and education
California: Down 3,713, due to fewer layoffs in services
New Jersey: Down 2,565, due to fewer layoffs in hotels, restaurants, transportation and warehousing, and retail
Connecticut: Down 1,609, no reason given
Massachusetts: Down 1,277, due to fewer layoffs in education
States with the biggest increases:
Pennsylvania: Up 1,403, due to layoffs in construction, restaurants and manufacturing
Texas: Up 1,147 due to layoffs in manufacturing, finance, retail and health care
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