Claims For Jobless Benefits Rise Again

The number of newly laid-off Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits rose last week for the third straight week.

“The upward trend emerging in the claims series continues to portray deterioration in the labor market,” contended Marilyn Schaja, an economist with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corp. in New York.

The Labor Department said Thursday first-time applications for unemployment insurance increased by 3,000, to a seasonally adjusted 346,000. It was the highest since 348,000 claims were filed during the week ended Feb. 11.

Last week’s jump followed increases of 5,000 during the week of March 11 and 6,000 during the week of March 4.

The four-week moving average was 339,750 during the period ended last week, up from 339,250 during the period ended during the previous week.