New unemployment claims, a measure of layoffs, rose to 5,512 in the week ending Nov. 2, up from 5,084 the week before, the Labor Department said.

U.S. unemployment claims rose to 221,000 last week, an increase of 3,000 claims from 218,000 the week before on a seasonally adjusted basis.

North Dakota saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims increasing 138.0%. The percentage of new claims was the highest in the Virgin Islands: the number of claims fell by 80%.