The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits rose last week for a third straight week, but the underlying trend continued to point to a solidly improving labour market.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 1,000 to a seasonally-adjusted 295,000 for the week ended April 18, the U.S. Labor Department said on Thursday. Claims for the prior week were not revised.
Economists had forecast claims slipping to 290,000 last week. A department analyst said there was nothing unusual in the state-level data.
Claims tend to be volatile around this time of the year because moving holidays like Easter and school spring breaks often throw off the model that the government uses to smooth the data for seasonal fluctuations.
The four-week moving average of claims, considered a better measure of labour market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, increased 1,750 last week to 284,500. Claims below 300,000 are associated with a strengthening labour market.
