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Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 12,000
to a seasonally adjusted 282,000 for the week ended Aug. 29, the
Labor Department said on Thursday.
Claims for the prior week were revised to show 1,000 fewer
applications received than previously reported. Economists had
forecast claims rising to 275,000 last week.
A Labor Department analyst said there were no special factors
influencing the data and no states had been estimated.
The claims data has no bearing on Friday's closely watched
employment report for August as it fell outside the survey
period. According to a Reuters survey of economists, nonfarm
payrolls likely increased by 220,000 last month after rising
215,000 in July.
But job gains could come in below expectations as the first
reading of August payrolls has tended to be weaker in the last
several years before being revised higher.
The August employment report will be released less than two
weeks before the Federal Reserve's Sept. 16-17 policy-setting
meeting. There is speculation the U.S. central bank could raise
interest rates at that meeting.
The four-week moving average of claims, considered a better
measure of labor market trends as it irons out week-to-week
volatility, rose 3,250 to 275,500 last week.
It was the 23rd straight week that the four-week average
remained below the 300,000 threshold, which is usually
associated with a strengthening labor market.
Thursday's claims report showed the number of people still
receiving benefits after an initial week of aid fell 9,000 to
2.26 million in the week ended Aug. 22.
(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Paul Simao)
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