The number of Americans who applied last week for initial unemployment claims rose to the highest level since January, partly because some employees of school districts can file claims during spring break, the U.S. Labor Department reported today.
Weekly jobless claims jumped by 13,000 to 380,000 in the week ended April 7.
Much of the increase was related to spring break, when many school bus drivers and cafeteria workers around the country are allowed to file claims in their states. Yet claims were also revised sharply higher in the prior week, possibly suggesting slight deterioration in the labor market.
Claims from two weeks ago were revised up by 10,000 to 367,000 from an originally reported 357,000.
In Wisconsin, initial unemployment claims rose last week to 12,089 from 10,498 in the previous week.
