Reuters (09/13/12) Lucia Mutikani
Applications for U.S. jobless benefits jumped by 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 382,000 in the week ended Sept. 8, with about half the increase related to tropical storm Isaac, the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. That’s the highest level of claims since mid-July. The government said about 9,000 claims stemmed from the storm that passed through the Gulf Coast in late August. Some people could not work because of storm damage, but they did not apply for benefits right away. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims rising to 370,000 last week.