LOS ANGELES — The number of new Americans filing for jobless claims barely moved last week, leaving more unemployed workers applying for benefits than analysts had expected.
With 338,000 workers filing first-time claims during the week ended Saturday, according to the Labor Department, hopes for heady improvement in the labor market continue to shrink.
Though that’s 1,000 fewer applications than a week earlier, initial unemployment benefits are still hovering around a three-month high last reached in January. The four-week average, which is less unstable than the week-by-week count, rose to 381,750 last week from 375,500. Reports this week have predicted an easier summer job market for teens; the Federal Reserve now projects the unemployment rate easing to as low as 7.8 percent by the end of the year from the current 8.2 percent. Los Angeles Times
