Investing.com - The number of people who filed for unemployment assistance in the U.S. last week rose less than expected, according to official data released on Thursday.
The number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ended Sept. 7 decreased by 1,000 to 204,000, down from the previous week’s total of 205,000, the U.S. Department of Labor said. The prior reading was revised up from 203,000.
Analysts had expected claims to rise to 210,000 last week.
The four-week moving average fell by 2,000 to 208,000 last week. The monthly average is seen as a more accurate gauge of labor trends because it reduces volatility in the week-to-week data.
Continuing jobless claims, which measures the number of people still receiving benefits after an initial week of aid, came in at 1,696,000 compared to 1,711,000 in the preceding week.
That compared to a consensus forecast of 1,710,000.
The previous week’s reading was revised up 4,000 from an initial reading of 1,707,000.