Unemployment falls in some US states

Washington: Unemployment decreased in 36 US states in November, with Kentucky and Connecticut posting the biggest declines from a month earlier.

Kentucky’s jobless rate dropped to 10.6% from 11.3% the previous month, the Labour Department said. Unemployment in Connecticut dropped to 8.2% last month from 8.8%. More states reported reductions in payrolls than increases during November.

Unemployment close to a 26-year high is a blow to states, whose budgets have been strained by the recession that started two years ago, as tax revenue slows and more is paid out in jobless benefits.