Unemployment reached 5.5 percent a level that has not been seen since 1986. As gas prices continue to rise employers are finding it more difficult to find money to hire new workers and keep the ones they have. Every month Americans can see up to 250,000 people lose their jobs but until January of 2008 that number was always met with the exact same number of people finding jobs.

Fluctuations in in the job market have now become permanent or long term job losses which is causing an increase in the number of people being unable to find new employment.

An interesting false statistic of new unemployment claims is now due to people using up their unemployment benefits. In years gone past as long as you were unemployed you could file for compensation however that safety net now has limits that some workers have used up.

The largest increases in unemployment were seen in Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, and Louisiana while New York, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Oregon saw some slight decreases in unemployment claims.