US jobless claims rise for third straight week

[WASHINGTON] The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits rose last week for a third straight week, but the underlying trend continued to point to a solidly improving labour market.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 295,000 for the week ended April 18, the Labour Department said on Thursday. Claims for the prior week were unrevised.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims slipping to 290,000 last week. A Labour Department analyst said there was nothing unusual in the state-level data.

Claims tend to be volatile around this time of the year because moving holidays like Easter and school spring breaks often throw off the model that the government uses to smooth the data for seasonal fluctuations.

The four-week moving average of claims, considered a better measure of labour market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, increased 1,750 last week to 284,500. Claims below 300,000 are associated with a strengthening labour market.

The data covered the period during which the government canvassed employers for April's nonfarm payrolls report. The four-week average of claims fell 20,750 between the March and April survey periods, suggesting an acceleration in job growth.

Employment growth slowed sharply in March, with nonfarm payrolls increasing by only 126,000, ending a 12-month stretch of gains above 200,000. But with the weakness mostly concentrated in the weather-sensitive leisure and construction sectors, economists downplayed the slowdown.

Thursday's claims report showed the number of people still receiving benefits after an initial week of aid increased 50,000 to 2.33 million in the week ended April 11.

REUTERS