U.S. applications for jobless benefits have stayed in the same basic range for months, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been fluctuations.
According to the Labor Department, applications for unemployment assistance bumped up last week to their highest level in two months.
Statistics released by the government this week showed jobless claim applications jumped to 241,000 for the week ending April 26. That’s an increase of some 18,000 and is higher than the 225,000 new applications analysts had forecast. It’s also the most since late February.
Earlier this month, the government reported that U.S. employers added 228,000 jobs in March, while the unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.2%.
The Labor Department was due to issue its April jobs report on Friday.
The Labor Department also reported Thursday that the four-week average of applications, which softens some of the week-to-week volatility, rose by 5,500 to 226,000.
