California jobless claims rise 3.4% as US unemployment rises

New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, rose to 40,251 in the week ended Aug. 17 from 38,896 the week before, the Labor Department said.

U.S. jobless claims rose to 232,000 last week, up 4,000 from 228,000 the previous week on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Florida recorded the largest percentage increase in weekly applications, up 35.7%. Puerto Rico, meanwhile, recorded the largest percentage drop in new applications, down 48.3%.