The Labor Department reported that on Thursday unemployment insurance claims had dramatically skyrocketed from a seasonal 7,000 applications to more than 455,000. This is the highest number of claims ever recorded since 2002. The new filings were partially due to the new extended benefits program. This program reaches out to those who are qualified but haven’t applied to receive those benefits yet. According to a Labor Department Analyst, when people went to state claims offices to apply for these extended benefits, state officials discovered that some were eligible for -- but hadn't filed for -- their initial unemployment benefits, and this is part of the reason why claims had increased for the week ending on August 2. As the economy continues to struggle employers will make job cuts just to sustain their businesses. More losses are expected to occur throughout the end of the year.