U.S. Jobless Claims Rise, But Downward Trend Intact

March 8, 2012
While there were 8,000 more unemployment claims versus the prior week, the numbers have fallen to 2008 lows since the middle of last year.

New claims for U.S. unemployment benefits rose last week, but the numbers clung to a months-long decline amid a fragile recovery in the distressed job market, official data showed Thursday.

The Labor Department reported 362,000 initial jobless claims were filed in the week ending March 3.

That marked an increase of 8,000 from the prior week's upwardly revised number of 354,000.

The weekly claims numbers have fallen to 2008 lows since the middle of last year.

The four-week moving average, which helps smooth week-to-week volatility, rose by a marginal 250 claims to 355,000.

The disappointing reading on jobless claims added to signs of improvement in the labor market ahead of Friday's official unemployment and job-creation numbers.

Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported earlier Thursday that businesses' planned layoffs remained virtually unchanged in February.

On Wednesday, payrolls firm ADP said the nonfarm private business sector added a net 216,000 jobs in February, and pointed to "solid" job growth averaging just over 200,000 for the past five months.

Most analysts expect Friday's Labor Department data will show the economy added a net 206,000 jobs in February and the unemployment rate will remain unchanged at 8.3% from December.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2012

Popular Sponsored Recommendations

Empowering the Modern Workforce: The Power of Connected Worker Technologies

March 1, 2024
Explore real-world strategies to boost worker safety, collaboration, training, and productivity in manufacturing. Emphasizing Industry 4.0, we'll discuss digitalization and automation...

3 Best Practices to Create a Product-Centric Competitive Advantage with PRO.FILE PLM

Jan. 25, 2024
Gain insight on best practices and strategies you need to accelerate engineering change management and reduce time to market. Register now for your opportunity to accelerate your...

Transformative Capabilities for XaaS Models in Manufacturing

Feb. 14, 2024
The manufacturing sector is undergoing a pivotal shift toward "servitization," or enhancing product offerings with services and embracing a subscription model. This transition...

Shifting Your Business from Products to Service-Based Business Models: Generating Predictable Revenues

Oct. 27, 2023
Executive summary on a recent IndustryWeek-hosted webinar sponsored by SAP

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of IndustryWeek, create an account today!