Unemployment claims in Massachusetts increased last week

Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Massachusetts rose last week compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, increased to 5,626 in the week ending October 12, up from 4,929 the week before, the Labor Department said.

U.S. unemployment claims dropped to 241,000 last week, down 19,000 claims from 260,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Nebraska saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims jumping by 91.0%. Virgin Islands, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage drop in new claims, with claims dropping by 53.1%.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from the U.S. Department of Labor's weekly unemployment insurance claims report .

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Unemployment claims in Massachusetts increased last week