U.S. Jobless Claims Rose Last Week

WASHINGTON—The number of Americans applying for first-time unemployment benefits rose slightly last week but remained near historically low levels, a sign of a firm labor market.

Initial jobless claims, a measure of how many workers were laid off across the U.S., increased 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 222,000 in the week ended June 8, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected 215,000 new claims.

Estimates of claims are volatile week to week and often revised. A separate measure—the four-week moving average, which shows the trend over the past month—rose 2,500 to 217,750.

The report also showed so-called continuing claims—those filed by workers unemployed for longer than a week—increased 2,000 to 1,695,000 in the week ended June 1. That figure is reported with a one-week lag.

Initial jobless claims have risen for three consecutive weeks, though the gains have been modest. Despite the growth, claims remain exceptionally low by historical standards, a sign most employers are holding payrolls steady and even hiring.

The labor market appears healthy overall, though recent reports have sent mixed signals about whether the market is strengthening or slightly weakening.

Employers added 75,000 jobs in May, far less than average growth in recent years, the Labor Department reported earlier this month. But unemployment held steady at a half-century low of 3.6%.
The Labor Department said this week job openings continue to outnumber unemployed workers, a sign demand for labor is high.