The number of US workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose a larger-than-forecast 11,000 last week, government data showed today.
Initial filings for state unemployment insurance aid for the week ended March 31st increased to a seasonally adjusted 321,000 from an upwardly revised 310,000 the prior week, the Labor Department said.
In the week ending March 24th, claims had posted a surprisingly steep decline to an initially reported 308,000, and analysts on Wall Street had expected claims to rebound to 315,000 in the latest week.
The four-week moving average of claims, which irons out weekly volatility to provide a better sense of underlying job-market trends, edged lower to 315,750 from 317,250 in the prior week, the lowest reading since early February.
The total number of unemployed still on the benefit rolls after drawing an initial week of aid fell by 25,000 to 2.492 million in the week ended March 24th, the latest period for which these figures are available.
It had been expected to come in at 2.51 million.