The U.S. Department of Labor reported late last week that Georgia’s initial unemployment benefit filings increased last week compared to the previous week. According to the Labor Department, the number of new jobless claims, which are a stand-in for layoffs, rose from 3,598 the week before to 9,446 in the week ending December 7. On a seasonally adjusted basis, U.S. unemployment claims increased by 17,000 from 225,000 the previous week to 242,000 last week. With a 162.5% increase in weekly claims, Georgia experienced the biggest percentage increase. Meanwhile, with a 36.7% decrease in new claims, Delaware experienced the biggest percentage decline.