Continuing applications for US unemployment benefits rose to the highest level in almost two years, underscoring the increasing challenges unemployed workers are facing in finding new jobs. Recurring jobless claims, a proxy for the number of people continuously receiving unemployment benefits, jumped to 1.87 million in the week ended Nov. 4, according to Labor Department data out Thursday. That marked an eighth straight week of increases. Initial jobless claims also rose, to 231,000 in the week ending Nov. 11. That was the highest since August. Although it’s difficult to draw conclusions from volatile weekly numbers, ... (full story)