The number of newly unemployed American workers filing claims for benefits increased dramatically last week, according to a government report released on Thursday. The Labor Department reported said that claims for unemployment benefits rose by 35,000 to 380,000. The figure was much higher than what private economists had anticipated—they expected claims would rise by only 18,000. The report on jobless claims came a day ahead of a report on unemployment for April. Economists expect that report will show that the unemployment rate increased by 5.2 percent in April, from 5.1 percent in March. The economy is expected to lose 70,000 jobs, the fourth straight month of job losses.
