Jobless Claims Hit One-Year High

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits surged unexpectedly last week to its highest point in more than a year, partly reflecting auto industry layoffs as plants prepare to build new models.

“It’s the start of the season for model changeovers,” said Paul Taylor, chief economist for the National Automobile Dealers Association.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that a seasonally adjusted 319,000 Americans filed applications for jobless benefits for the week ending July 8, up by an unexpected 27,000 from the previous week.

Last week’s increase was larger than many analysts expected and pushed jobless claims to their highest level since June 5, 1999, when applications were at 323,000.