More people in the United States filed applications for unemployment benefits last week than any week last year, and analysts are saying it’s likely a result of Hurricane Helene rather than a weak labor market.

The Department of Labor reported Thursday that applications for jobless claims jumped by 33,000 during the week of Oct. 3, just one week after Hurricane Helene caused massive devastation in the Southeast. Analysts saw 258,000 applications but were only expecting 229,000. The states with the highest jumps were those hit by Helene, including Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

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