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Jobless Benefits Hit 25-Year High

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The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 7, 2008

WASHINGTON - The number of out-of-work Americans continuing to draw unemployment benefits has surged to a 25-year high. Shoppers also turned extra frugal, further proof of the damage from the sinking economy, credit problems and financial stresses.

The Labor Department reported Thursday the number of people continuing to draw unemployment benefits jumped by 122,000 to 3.84 million in late October. It was the highest level since late February 1983, when the country was struggling to recover from a long and painful recession.

New filings for jobless benefits last week fell to 481,000. The work force was much smaller in February 1983, when the number claiming benefits was 3.88 million. Then, about 87.2 million people were working, compared with almost 134 million today. That's one reason the jobless rate was 10.4 percent in February 1983, compared with 6.1 percent last month.

Still, the increase in people still drawing unemployment benefits is an indication that laid-off workers are having a harder time finding new jobs.

Democrats in Congress are pushing to include an extension of unemployment benefits in a new stimulus package, which could be taken up this month. Benefits typically last 26 weeks. Congress approved a 13-week extension of benefits in June, and the department said about 773,000 more people claimed benefits for the week ending Oct. 18. That extension is scheduled to end in June.

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