Rise in state unemployment claims

New numbers from the state Department of Labor show that just over 50-thousand laid-off workers filed first-time claims for unemployment in April. That represents an increase of 21-percent from March. The loss of jobs came across-the-board in the areas of manufacturing, construction, trade and services. A sampling of some metro areas in the state experiencing an uptick in claims filed: Atlanta up 2,731, or nearly 16-percent from March. Dalton was up by 714 claims, or 31-percent. Macon saw a rise by 442 claims from March, or almost 51-percent.