Initial Unemployment Claims Rise

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The state labor department said first-time claims for unemployment insurance in Louisiana for the week ending Oct. 11 increased to 2,473 from the previous week's total of 2,081.

For the comparable week a year earlier, there were 2,513 initial claims.

The department said the week marked the start of a new quarter for new claims. That meant some claimants regained eligibility for benefits, which typically results in an increase.

The four-week moving average, a less volatile measure, increased to 2,127, from the previous week's total: 2,027.

Continued unemployment claims for the week ending Oct. 11 decreased to 18,947 compared to 19,214 the previous week.

The four-week moving average for such claims decreased to 19,450 from the previous week's average of 19,835.