The number of people filing initial applications for U.S. state unemployment benefits rose last week, though the number of claims remained consistent with steady hiring, the government reported Thursday. The Labor Department said jobless claims rose 31,000 to 313,000 last week, the highest level in six weeks. The four-week moving average of claims—considered a better measure of labor-market trends because it smoothes weekly volatility—rose 11,500 to 294,500. Jobless claims, a measure of layoffs, have averaged near or below 300,000 since September, a historically low figure that suggests companies are retaining their staffs and may be accelerating hiring. Employers added more than 1 million jobs from November through January, the best three-month pace since 1997. More than 3.2 million jobs have been created in the past year, helping to reduce the unemployment rate to 5.7 percent in January from 6.6 percent a year earlier.
