The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits climbed last week, indicating continued trouble for the labor market.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that 386,000 people filed new jobless claims in the week ended June 9, up 6,000 from the previous week’s revised figure.
That was 11,000 more than expected. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast 375,000 people would file new claims.
Initial claims are a volatile number. But because they’re closely correlated with layoffs, economists consider them to be a key gauge of the job market.
