Brandon Thelen of Omaha, unemployed for three months, right, is helped by a friend, Zach Johnson, as he fills out forms at the Workforce Development office on Thursday in Omaha, Neb. New jobless claims rose more than expected last week and the number of laid-off Americans continuing to receive unemployment benefits topped 5.1 million, fresh evidence the recession is increasingly forcing employers to shed jobs. Nati Harnik