Information released Thursday morning shows the number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits rose last week, but remained at a level consistent with employment growth.
The U.S. Labor Department reported that initial claims for unemployment benefits, a proxy for layoffs across the U.S., increased by 13,000 to a seasonally-adjusted 277,000 in the week ended June 11, the first increase in claims since the week ended May 7.
Economists had expected 269,000 new claims. Claims for the week ended June 4 were unrevised at 264,000.
Data on unemployment claims can be volatile from week to week, especially around holidays, including Memorial Day. The department said no special factors affected last week’s figure. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, California accounted for more than half of the total increase in claims.
The four-week moving average, a more reliable number as it helps even out short-run swings in the data, fell by 250 last week to a seasonally adjusted 269,250.
