The number of people applying for unemployment benefits edged up slightly last week after two months of steady declines.
The four-week average of applications, a less volatile measure, fell to its lowest level since April. That suggests companies are cutting fewer workers.
Here are the states with the biggest changes in applications. The state-level data is for the week ended Nov. 12, one week behind the nationwide data:
State with the biggest increase:
Indiana: Up 2,251, due to layoffs in the manufacturing industry
States with the biggest decreases:
California: Down 9,382, due to fewer layoffs in the service industry
Pennsylvania: Down 3,994, no reason given
Texas: Down 2,831, no reason given
Massachusetts: Down 2,223, due to fewer layoffs in services
New York: Down 2,161, due to fewer layoffs in construction, health care and manufacturing
Washington: Down 1,473, no reason given