The number of initial jobless claims in the United States increased last week, according to a report released by the U.S. Labor Department on Thursday.
In the week ending September 14, the number of people filing for U.S. unemployment benefits increased by 2,000 to 208,000. Meanwhile, the previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 204,000 to 206,000.
The report also showed that four-week moving average of initial claims, a method to iron out data volatility, decreased by 750 to 212,250. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 to 213,000.
As an important leading indicator to reflect unemployment status in the United States, a lower reading in jobless claims indicates lower overall layoffs. The reading of jobless claims remained below the 300,000 threshold, signaling a tight labor market in the United States.
For the bigger picture of U.S. labor market, U.S. employers added 130,000 jobs in August, fewer than expected, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on September 6.
