Unemployment claims in Pennsylvania declined last week

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

New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 10,763 in the week ending March 8, down from 11,189 the week before, the Labor Department said.

U.S. unemployment claims dropped to 220,000 last week, down 2,000 claims from 222,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Alaska saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims jumping by 53.8%. New Hampshire, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage drop in new claims, with claims dropping by 66.5%.

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 Daily American: Unemployment claims in Pennsylvania declined last week