Investing.com - The number of people who filed for unemployment assistance in the U.S. rose unexpectedly last week, but remained in territory usually associated with a firming labor market.
The Department of Labor said the number of Americans filing for initial jobless benefits in the week to January 8 rose by 7,000 to 284,000 from the previous week’s total of 277,000.
Economists had forecast a fall of 2,000 to 275,000.
First-time jobless claims have held below the 300,000-level for 44 consecutive weeks, which is usually associated with a firming labor market.