More Americans filed for jobless benefits last week than the week before, according to new figures released Thursday by the U.S. Labor Department.
The department said 215,000 Americans filed applications for unemployment benefits during the week of August 24, up from 211,000 the prior week, a number that fell perfectly in line with Wall Street estimates.
Data for the prior week was revised to show 2,000 more applications received than previously reported.
The four-week moving average of U.S. initial claims, considered a better measure of labour market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, slipped 500 to 214,500 last week.
Layoffs have remained low despite a protracted trade war between the United States and China, which is crimping economic growth by undercutting business investment and manufacturing.
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