Unemployment claims in the US rose more than expected last week

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The number of Americans who have applied for unemployment benefits has increased more than expected last week, but the trend continues to point to a stronger labor market.

The US Department of Labor announced Thursday that the government's new claims for unemployment benefits had increased by 9,000, to reach 220,000 seasonally adjusted for the week ending August 10th. Data from the previous week have been revised to indicate an increase in the number of requests from the advertiser of 2,000 previously.

Economists polled by Reuters expected the number of applications to reach 214,000 last week.

The four-week moving average, which is a more accurate indicator of the labor market, as it excludes weekly volatility, rose by 1,000 requests to 213,750 requests last week.

There is no indication that the fierce trade war between the United States and China, which has contributed to the reversal of the US Treasury yield curve, is affecting the labor market.

Despite the slowdown in employment, the pace of employment growth has remained above the level of about 100,000 jobs needed per month to keep pace with the growth of the working-age population. .