Unemployment claims in Illinois declined last week

Initial applications for unemployment benefits in Illinois fell last week compared to the previous week, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 9,825 in the week ending Jan. 24, from 10,488 the week before, the Labor Department said.

In the United States, the number of unemployment claims fell to 209,000 last week, a decrease of 1,000 from 210,000 the previous week, on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Nebraska saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims jumping 207.4%. Kentucky, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage decline in new claims, with a 59.7% drop.

USA TODAY Co. is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated using data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s weekly unemployment claims report.

This article originally appeared on Canton Daily Ledger: Illinois unemployment claims fell last week