Ohio Weekly Jobless Claims Fall

The Labor Department says the number of applications for unemployment insurance benefits in Ohio fell by 15-hundred last week due to fewer layoffs in the manufacturing sector.Nationally, claims fell by 12-thousand to a seasonally-adjusted 350-thousand - the lowest level since March of 2008. But a department spokesperson says the figures were disrupted by the Christmas holiday, since many state unemployment offices were closed Monday and Tuesday and unable to compile complete data. 14 states provided estimates and the department estimated the numbers for five additional states.