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WASHINGTON (AP) - The number of laid-off workers filing for unemployment benefits dropped sharply last week after having been driven higher the previous week by storm-related layoffs.
The Labor Department reported that applications for jobless benefits totaled 332,000 last week, down by 27,000 from the previous week.
The prior week jobless claims had jumped by 46,000, the biggest one-week surge since September 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Part of that big increase occurred because of winter storms which boosted layoffs in such industries as construction.
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