Jobless Claims Show Tight U.S. Labor Market Even With Increase

The slight gain in filings for U.S. unemployment benefits last week is still consistent with a resilient job market, Labor Department figures showed Thursday.

Employers are reluctant to let go of skilled and experienced workers at a time there’s a shortage of such labor. Even with the tick-up in filings, the figures are in sync with other data showing steady hiring, still-elevated job openings, and unemployment at a 16-year low. The report spans the week including the 12th of the month, the period covered by the Labor Department’s survey for the monthly jobs report. Economists typically incorporate that week’s jobless-claims numbers into their forecasts for payrolls.