Claims for state unemployment have risen to their highest levels in three months, according to new data (pdf) from the Labor Department. Weekly claims for the week ending Jan. 15 rose by 55,000 to a total of 286,000, constituting the highest rate since last October. A seasonal spike in unemployment claims in January is consistent with annual patterns, as temporary holiday workers return to unemployment and many outdoor constructions are suspended because of harsh weather. Though the Labor Department attempts to control for these factors in its data, doing so has been difficult in the pandemic economy. One of the main factors in this larger-than-average rise in unemployment claims is likely the Omicron variant of the CCP virus, which has resulted in temporary closures and layoffs and driven up unemployment totals. Though workers are ineligible for unemployment when they personally test positive for the virus, they nonetheless can find themselves out …