WASHINGTON, DC -- More Americans are filing for unemployment claims.
According to the Labor Department, 219,000 workers filed first-time jobless claims last week. That's an increase of 8,000 from the previous week, as that total was revised up by 1,000 to 211,000.
The largest increases in initial claims were in California, Georgia, Maine, Vermont and Hawaii.The largest decreases were in Illinois, Texas, Michigan, Washington and Pennsylvania.
This comes a week after last week’s jobless claims fell. The Labor Department reported 202,000 workers filed first-time jobless claims two weeks ago, a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week, as that total was revised up by 1,000 to 217,000.
The largest increase in initial claims were in Missouri, Oregon, Virginia, Ohio and Kansas, while the largest decreases were in California, Illinois, Georgia, Pennsylvania and New York.
Vice President Mike Pence celebrated the previous jobs report and U.S. economy as a whole.
On CNBC, Pence said the economy is booming and that it's "working for working Americans."Pence says the jobs report showed Americans are entering the workforce.The survey also revealed that the unemployment rate rose to 3.6 percent.
Pence added that President Trump is focused on the security of the American people first, but then, "it's about jobs, jobs, jobs." The government jobs report for last month is blowing past expectations.
The Labor Department announced the U.S. added 225,000 jobs in December.Economists were expecting about 158,000.The nation's unemployment rate rose to 3.6 percent.