CBS/AP/ June 15, 2012, 3:09 PM

Unemployment rises in 18 U.S. states

Unemployment rose in 18 U.S. states in May, the most in nine months, according to the U.S. Labor Department.

Unemployment rose in 18 U.S. states in May, the most in nine months, according to the U.S. Labor Department.

(CBS/AP) WASHINGTON - Unemployment rates rose in 18 U.S. states in May, the most in nine months. Increasing unemployment in more than a third of U.S. states is the latest evidence of a weaker job market.

The Labor Department says unemployment rates fell in only 14 states. That's fewer than the previous month, when rates fell in 37 states. Rates were unchanged in 18 states.

Nationally, the rate rose to 8.2 percent in May from 8.1 percent in April, the first increase in almost a year. Employers added only 69,000 jobs, the fewest in 12 months.

Weekly jobless claims rise to 386,000
Watch: U.S. economy hangs on European recovery

Still, 27 states added jobs in May. California gained the most, adding 33,900. Ohio was next with 19,600. North Carolina reported the biggest loss, shedding 16,500 jobs. It was followed by Pennsylvania, which lost nearly 10,000.

Across the nation, sluggish hiring is causing more Americans to seek jobless benefits, the Labor Department said Thursday. Weekly unemployment benefit applications rose 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 386,000, an increase from an upwardly revised 380,000 the previous week.

The four-week average, a less volatile measure, rose for the third straight week to 382,000. That's the highest in six weeks. Weekly applications are a measure of the pace of layoffs. When they drop below 375,000, it typically suggests hiring is strong enough to reduce the unemployment rate.

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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phwtb100 says:
Don't worry! Now all the 'legal illegals' can help add to the numbers~

Thanks Obama!
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ludvig1-2009 says:
California is on it's way back. Our town's sales taxes are almost back to pre-recession levels.
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ProtectAmericanJobs says:
Check this site out: www.economyincrisis.org


www.economyincrisis.org/content/protectionism-matter-self-survival#comment-6632


Too bad we'll never see these types of articles in the mainstream media


Most US Citizens are not as concerned about the "Global Economy" as they are about being able to earn a living, their children's future and the future of our country. The people with all of the excuses as to why we can't use tariffs and can't or aren't willing to manufacture products here in the US are the same people who have provided us with the thinking that's gotten us into this mess in the first place.


Unfortunately our political leaders are unlikely to do right by the United States Citizens that elected them, because they and or their parties are beholden to the same people who have been exporting our industries and our jobs.
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