US weekly jobless claims inch up to 213,000

Washington, Sept 22, (dpa-AFX/GNA) – After reporting modest decreases in first-time, claims for US unemployment benefits for five straight weeks, the Labor Department released a report on Thursday showing an uptick in jobless claims in the week ended September 17.

The report showed initial jobless claims inched up to 213,000, an increase of 5,000 from the previous week’s revised level of 208,000.

Economists had expected jobless claims to edge up to 218,000 from the 213,000 originally reported for the previous week.

The modest increase came after jobless claims dropped to their lowest level since the week ended May 28 in the previous week.
GNA