Jobs
US Unemployment Claims Tick Up for First Time in Three Weeks
- Applications for benefits increased to 198,000 last week
- Michigan, Massachusetts and California led the advance
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Applications for US unemployment benefits ticked up for the first time in three weeks, suggesting some softening in what’s still a robust labor market in which employers are hesitant to let people go.
Initial unemployment claims increased by 7,000 to 198,000 in the week ended March 25, Labor Department data showed Thursday. The median forecast of economists was for 196,000 applications.