23,000 Pennsylvanians to exhaust jobless benefits

HARRISBURG (AP) — State officials say more than 23,000 Pennsylvanians are about to exhaust their unemployment benefits, the first big wave to do so.

The state Labor and Industry Department said today it is working to make sure these people know about programs and services that can help them find jobs. This week is the last week they can collect benefits.

Pennsylvania is providing up to 79 weeks of unemployment benefits through the end of this year.

The state’s unemployment rose to 8.6 percent in August, up from 4.4 percent when the recession began in December 2007. The rate remains below the national rate, however.

All told, more than 500,000 people received unemployment benefits from Pennsylvania in the first week of September. More than 31,000 people filed for benefits that week.