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The total number of people seeking unemployment benefits rose to just over 5 million in the week that ended Oct. 13, the latest period for which figures are available. That's up slightly from 4.9 million in the previous week. The economy picked up slightly this summer after a sluggish spring. Growth rose to a 2 percent annual rate in the July-September quarter, up from 1.3 percent in the April-June quarter. Consumers and the federal government spent more, and the housing market contributed to growth for the sixth straight quarter. Still, the economy is growing too slowly to rapidly bring relief to roughly 12 million out-of-work Americans. With the unemployment rate still high, steady growth of more than 3 percent is generally needed to create a sufficient number of jobs. When the unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent in September, it was the first time the rate had fallen below 8 percent since January 2009, President Barack Obama's first month in office. The rate fell in September because a government survey of households found a huge increase in the number of people who had jobs. Still, a jump in part-time employment accounted for most of the gain.
[Associated
Press;
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