Weekly numbers from the U.S. Department of Labor show a decline in new unemployment claims but an increase in the total number of unemployed to the highest level since 1982.
For the week ended Dec. 27, new claims dropped from 586,000 to 492,000, and the 4-week moving average also dropped slightly, from 558,000 to 552,250.
Massachusetts saw the largest decline in initial claims for the week, a drop of 4,016.
However, for the previous week, the last for which total unemployment data is available, the ranks of the unemployed rose by 140,000 to 4.5 million.
