The number of Americans lining up for first-time jobless benefits edged up last week and those staying on unemployment aid hit a 19-year high.
The US government report, published today, showed a still-struggling labour market as the world's richest economy moves ahead out of recession.
In its report, the Labour Department said the number of first-time jobless claims edged up by 1,000 for the week ended April 13th to a seasonally adjusted 445,000.
But the department said much of the climb in initial claims over the past few weeks can be attributed to a rise in applications for extended benefits from jobless workers who had exhausted their unemployment aid.
However, so-called continued claims rose to a seasonally adjusted 3.84 million for the week ended April 6th. That was the highest level since February 1983.
