The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week, but remained below levels associated with a healthy labour market.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 7,000 to a seasonally adjusted 284,000 for the week ended Jan. 9, the U.S. Labor Department said on Thursday. Prior week's claims were unrevised.
Remarkably, it was the 45th consecutive week that claims remained below the 300,000 mark, which is associated with strong labour market conditions, the longest such stretch since the early 1970s.
Economists had forecast claims slipping to 275,000 in the latest week. The increase likely reflects volatility rather than a change in labor market conditions, as the data is difficult to adjust during holidays. Claims also tend to increase at the start of each quarter.
The claims report showed the number of people stateside still receiving benefits after an initial week of aid rose 29,000 to 2.26 million in the week ended Jan. 2. The four-week moving average of the so-called continuing claims increased 5,250 to 2.22 million.
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