Unemployment claims double in wake of terrorist attacks

Claims for unemployment benefits nearly doubled in the wake of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C., according to the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

There were 5,549 new claims for unemployment benefits filed last week, nearly twice the 2,922 claims filed the week before.

In addition, there were 3,411 new claims filed in the first three days of this week as the state's businesses began to react to the sudden drop in tourist business.

Surprisingly, even though the number of claims was up sharply last week, the total paid out from Nevada's unemployment trust fund was about the same as the previous week -- $4.7 million. And the total number of claims active in the state was actually down by about 30 to 22,897.

Gov. Kenny Guinn has authorized 40 additional positions in the northern and southern claims offices to help with the growing workload.

August numbers showed a total of 4.8 percent of Nevada workers unemployed. Carson City's rate came in at 5.2 percent and Las Vegas at 5.1 percent.

Drawing the overall totals down is the Reno reporting area, where just 3.8 percent of the available workforce is out of a job.

Nevada's overall numbers still compared well with the nation -- at 4.9 percent for August -- and neighboring California, 5.2 percent.