Jobless Claims Rise as Pandemic Fears and Supply Chain Crunch Weigh on Recovery Posted byThe Epoch Times September 16, 2021 Leave a comment on Jobless Claims Rise as Pandemic Fears and Supply Chain Crunch Weigh on Recovery First-time filings for unemployment insurance-a proxy for layoffs-came in at 332,000 for the week ending Sept. 11, a rise of 20,000 from the previous week’s revised level of 310,000.