US weekly jobless claims up 10,000 to 367,000

WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (AFP) - The number of people filing for US unemployment benefits for the first time rose by 10,000 to 367,000 last week, reaching the highest level since September, the Labor Department said Thursday.
The less-volatile, more-informative four-week moving average of new claims rose 12,750 to 344,000, the department said.
Economists polled by CBS MarketWatch had expected first-time claims to drop to 339,000.
The number of former workers collecting unemployment checks plunged 219,000 to 2.63 million in the week ended January 1, the lowest level since April 2001.

01/13/2005 14:04 GMT - AFP