WETHERSFIELD, Conn. (AP) -- The Connecticut Labor Department says the state's unemployment rate increased slightly to 8.8 percent, even though employers added 1,000 jobs in October.

The gain announced Thursday is statistically small and doesn't erase the 6,600 lost jobs in September. However, Labor Statistics Supervisor Salvatore DiPillo says it is welcome news.

DiPillo also says initial claims for October, at 5,900, are at their lowest level since last December.

The news comes a day after health insurer Aetna Inc. announced it will eliminate 160 Connecticut jobs. More layoffs are expected by March.

Meanwhile, the Mortgage Bankers Association says in a report released Thursday that the number of foreclosures and seriously delinquent loans in Connecticut rose from 6 percent to 7 percent during the third quarter of this year to stand at 37,022.