Fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week, the second drop in three weeks. The decline was small — applications dropped by 3,000 to 420,000 — but the downward trend is a sign that the job market is slowly healing.
Here are the states with the largest changes in unemployment applications, and some of the reasons, at a glance:
States with the largest declines in applications:
New York: Down 12,355, due to fewer layoffs in construction, services and transportation
North Carolina: Down 9,951, due to fewer layoffs in textiles, furniture, and other manufacturing industries
Georgia: Down 8,662, due to fewer layoffs in the construction, services and manufacturing industries
Pennsylvania: Down 8,315 due to fewer layoffs in the construction, services and wood products industries
Washington: Down 7,929, no reason given
Wisconsin: Down 7,255, no reason given
Oregon: Down 5,751, no reason given
States with the largest increases in applications:
Iowa: Up 1,154, due to layoffs in construction
California: Up 1,202, due to layoffs in trade and services
Kentucky: Up 1,680, no reason given
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