Unemployment claims in Ohio declined last week

Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Ohio 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 5,618 in the week ending April 6, down from 6,228 the week before, the Labor Department said.

U.S. unemployment claims dropped to 211,000 last week, down 11,000 claims from 222,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Delaware saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims jumping by 253.3%. Virgin Islands, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage drop in new claims, with claims dropping by 56%.

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 Zanesville Times Recorder: Unemployment claims in Ohio declined last week