|
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 15,000 to a
seasonally adjusted 297,000 for the week that ended July 4, the
U.S. Department of Labor said on Thursday.
The previous week's claims were revised to 282,000, showing that
1,000 more people filed than initially reported.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected new applications to
fall to 275,000 last week.
Thursday's jobless claims report marks the 18th consecutive week
of new filings below 300,000, which is seen as a sign that the
labor market is improving.
A Labor Department analyst said there was nothing unusual in the
latest claims report.
The four-week moving average of claims, which smoothes out
week-to-week fluctuations and is therefore considered a better
gauge of the labor market, rose 4,500 to 279,500 last week.
A government report last week showed employers adding 223,000
jobs last month and the U.S. unemployment rate sliding to 5.3
percent.
Continued claims - the number of people still claiming jobless
benefits after an initial week of aid - rose 69,000 to 2.334
million in the week ended June 27, the Labor Department said.
(Reporting by Elvina Nawaguna; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
