By Roberto Scalese:
Weekly unemployment applications were up across the country, according to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Associated Press reported that the 309,000 applications filed was up from previous weeks, but may be due in part to a software error in a few states.
Still, the weekly numbers are in line with labor's overall sluggish summer growth. It's also in line with what's happening locally.
In Massachusetts, the state's 7.2 percent unemployment rate mirrors the national 7.3 percent rate for August. The state for months had enjoyed a rate lower than the rest of the country, but unemployment here spiked through the summer. Massachusetts added 7,500 jobs in August, and over 22,000 through 2013.
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