WASHINGTON, Aug. 9 (AP) — The number of newly laid-off people signing up for jobless benefits rose more than expected last week, but employment conditions remained good.þþThe Labor Department reported Thursday that new applications for unemployment insurance had increased by a seasonally adjusted 7,000, to 316,000 for the week ending Aug. 4. Claims are at their highest point since late June.þþEconomists had predicted that claims would be lower, around 310,000 for last week.þþStill, claims are lower now than they were a year ago, when they stood at 319,000.þþOther recent barometers suggest some cooling in hiring, partly reflecting the toll of the sour housing market and struggles in the auto industry.þþLast week the government reported that the nation’s unemployment rate nudged up to 4.6 percent in July, a six-month high. New job creation also slowed.þþIn Thursday’s layoffs report, the four-week moving average of new claims, which smoothes out week-to-week volatility, rose last week to 307,750, an increase of 1,750 from the previous week. It was the highest level since July 21.þþThe number of people continuing to collect unemployment benefits rose by 39,000, to 2.56 million for the workweek ending July 28, the most recent period for which this information was available. That was the highest since early July.þþ
Source: NY Times
