The number of people filing new applications for U.S. unemployment benefits rose slightly last week but remained at a level that indicated a healthy labor market, the government reported Thursday. The Labor Department said jobless claims rose by 2,000 last week to 315,000. The four-week average of claims, considered a better measure of labor-market trends because it smoothes weekly volatility, was virtually unchanged at 315,000. The number of people still receiving unemployment benefits increased 11,000 to 2.58 million last week, the report said. The average of weekly jobless claims has fallen 9 percent since the beginning of this year. Claims are a measure of layoffs, so the declines indicate that companies are cutting fewer jobs. A separate report Thursday showed the economy created 288,000 jobs in June, the fifth consecutive month of strong job creation above 200,000. The unemployment rate fell 0.2 percentage point to 6.1 percent, the lowest rate since September 2008.
