The number of US workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose by a larger-than-expected 7,000 last week, a government report today showed.
First-time claims for state unemployment insurance benefits rose to a seasonally adjusted 318,000 in the week ended September 16th, after an upwardly revised 311,000 in the prior week, the Labor Department said.
Analysts were expecting claims to creep up to 310,000 from the original reading of 308,000 in the September 9th week.
The four-week moving average of jobless claims, which is considered a more accurate measurement of employment trends because it irons out weekly volatility, remained unchanged at 315,000 in the week ended September 16th.
New claims have held steady in this range for nearly a year after a surge to levels above 400,000 when a wave of US workers sought unemployment aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina last September.
The number of workers remaining on unemployment benefits fell 29,000 to 2.46 million in the week ended September 9th, the latest period the data were available.