WASHINGTON, Aug 13 (Reuters) - The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose unexpectedly last week by a slight amount as the weak labor market struggled to stabilize, a government report showed on Thursday.
Initial claims for state unemployment insurance benefits climbed 4,000 to a seasonally adjusted 558,000 in the week ended August 8 from 554,000 the prior week, the Labor Department said. A government official said there was "nothing unusual" in the report.
Analysts polled by Reuters were expecting claims to dip slightly to 545,000 from the previously reported 550,000 in the earlier week.
The number of people collecting long-term unemployment benefits slipped by 141,000 to 6.20 million in the week ended Aug. 1, the lowest level since April 11. The insured unemployment rate dipped to 4.7 percent from 4.8 percent.
In a sign that any recovery of labor markets could be uneven, the four-week moving average for new claims rose by 8,500 to 565,000 in the week ending August 8. The four-week moving average is considered a truer measure of underlying trends because it smooths out week-to-week zig-zags.
It was the first rise in the moving average in seven weeks. (Reporting by Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Kenneth Barry)