The number of new jobless claims in the United States rose more than expected last week pushing the number of people continuing to receive unemployment benefits to 5.1 million. The U.S. Labor Department said Thursday that first-time requests for unemployment benefits jumped to 667,000 from 631,000 last week. Analysts had expected a slight drop in claims. The 667,000 new claims is the biggest increase since October 1982, though the labor force has grown by about half since then. The four-week average of initial claims, which smoothes out fluctuations, rose to 639,000, which is the highest in more than 26 years. The figures for recipients of continuing unemployment insurance also rose, indicating that once unemployed, Americans are having difficulty finding a new job. The number of people receiving unemployment insurance for more than one week rose more than expected to 5.1 million. This week marks the fifth consecutive time that the figure has set a new record on data going back to 1967. A year ago the figure stood at 2.8 million people. As a proportion of the work force, the number of people continuing to receive benefits has reached its highest point since July 1983. Another 1.4 million people are receiving benefits under an extended unemployment compensation program approved by Congress last year, bringing the total number of jobless benefit recipients to roughly 6.5 million.
