Initial Jobless Claims Rose 7,000 Last Week to 319,000, Labor Says

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the first time rose 7,000 in the week ended July 2 to 319,000, according to a Labor Department report released Thursday.

The four-week moving average, which is a less volatile labor statistic, fell to 320,500 from 324,000 in the same week, Labor said.

Analysts had expected claims to rise to 320,000 for the week, Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg reported that a Labor Department spokesman attributed the gain in initial claims to annual workforce adjustments in the automobile manufacturing industry and claims by school bus and cafeteria workers during the summer break.