The number of people filing initial claims for US unemployment benefits rose 8,000 to a seasonally-adjusted 393,000 in the week to August 17, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
Wall Street analysts had forecast an increase of 18,000 jobless claims to 398,000.
A four-week moving average of initial jobless claims rose 6,750 to 378,750.
In raw figures, initial jobless claims fell 20,833 to 311,912. There were 251,863 claims in the comparable week of 2000.
In the previous week to August 11, initial jobless claims fell a revised 3,000 to 385,000. The initial estimate had been a decline of 8,000 to 380,000.
The number of unemployed workers filing continuing claims rose 131,000 to 3.18 million, the highest level since September 1992, the department said -- WASHINGTON (AFP)
