The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for state unemployment benefits rose more than twice as much as expected last week to a 26-year high indicative of continued employment declines amidst a recessionary economy, the Wall Street Journal reported today. Initial claims for jobless benefits spiked 58,000 to a seasonally adjusted 573,000 in the week ended Dec. 6, the Labor Department said today in a weekly report. The four-week average of new claims, which aims to smooth volatility in the data, also reached a nearly 26-year high, rising 14,250 to 540,500 from the previous week’s revised average of 526,250.

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