Initial Jobless Claims Rise By 3,000 to 324,000 Last Week

The number of U.S. workers filing for unemployment benefits for the first time rose by 3,000 in the week ended March 19, according to a Labor Department report. The increase pushed initial jobless claims to 324,000, Labor said.

The less volatile four-week moving average was 321,750, up 5,250 from last week’s average of 316,500, Labor said. However, the moving average was down 5.4% from the same week last year, the report said.

The number of continuing jobless claims rose to 2.67 million people in the week ended March 12 from 2.64 million the previous week. The four-week average for continuing claims rose to 2.669 million from 2.665 million.