Claims for unemployment benefits rose last week but remain at historically low levels, data from the Labor Department showed Thursday.
Initial claims climbed by 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 245,000, the Labor Department said. This is the second consecutive weekly rise in claims. Claims have bounced between around 230,000 and 247,000 since early March.
The four-week average of claims, which many analysts view as a more reliable guide to labor market trends, declined by 500 to 239,750.
Continuing claims rose to 1.87 million, the highest level since November 2021. These are reported with a one-week delay.
The average number of initial claims since 1967 is around 367,000.
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