Washington, DC, Apr. 15--First-time claims for unemployment benefits rose more than forecast last week, one week after dropping to the lowest level in four years.
But other data in the report suggested that the labor market is continuing to improve.
Initial jobless claims rose by 30,000 to a seasonally adjusted level of 360,000 in the week that ended April 10, the Labor Department said Thursday.
The four-week average rose 6,750 to 344,250. A four-week moving average below 350,000 suggests improvement in the jobs market. Last week, claims dropped by a revised 13,000.
Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires and CNBC had called for claims to rise by 7,000 to 335,000.
Despite the disappointing headline number, the report showed that during the week of April 3 the number of workers drawing benefits for more than a week fell below the three million mark, to 2,980,000, for the first time since July 2001. Economists say that's a sign of an improving job market.
