WASHINGTON (AFP) - US jobless claims rose in the past week, with Hurricane Ivan a major factor, the Labor Department reported.
The number of claims rose 14,000 to 350,000 in the week to September 18.
A Labor Department spokesman said the increase in first-time claims in the week was "mostly" due to the effects of Hurricane Ivan.
The number was higher than te average Wall Street forecast of 338,000 new claims.
The more-reliable four-week moving average of first-time claims edged higher, to 341,000 from 339,000, in the latest week.
The weekly data, while volatile, offer an insight into the monthly payrolls report that provides a better picture of the labor market. The Labor Department will report on the September employment report on October 8.
Economists have said initial claims in the neighborhood of 340,000 are consistent with monthly job gains of about 150,000 to 250,000. The economy needs to add about 150,000 jobs a month to absorb new entrants into the labor force.
The claims data are "at levels suggestive of a moderate pace of hiring around 150,000," said Mat Johnson, chief economist for ThinkEquity Partners.
But long-term unemployment has been particularly insidious during this recent cycle.
In August, 1.7 million, or 20.7 percent, of the eight million workers classified as unemployed had been out of work longer than six months. The average duration of unemployment remained high at 19 weeks.