Initial claims for unemployment rose by 11,000 last week to a total of 362,000, according to seasonally adjusted data released by the US Department of Labor. In addition, the four-week moving average of claims rose by 4,250 to a total of 340,000.
Claims rose by 17,978 week over week in California, by 6,432 in Michigan and by 3,345 in Texas. They had declined in some states. The state numbers are not adjusted for seasonality.
Reuters reported that an action by California distorted the claims in the week ended Sept. 25 as it moved claimants from one program to another to help them continue to receive unemployment benefits. Jobless claims are expected to decline going forward. “The downward trend could resume in October,” Robert Frick, corporate economist at Navy Federal Credit Union in Vienna, Virginia, told Reuters.