US jobless claims rise slightly as federal aid top-up winds down

Initial unemployment claims in regular state programmes stood at 353,000 during the week ended August 21, up 4,000 from the prior week, US Department of Labor data showed Thursday.

Applications for U.S. state unemployment rose for the first time in five weeks as the labor market makes its way to a full recovery in fits and starts. Initial unemployment claims in regular state programs totaled 353,000 in the week ended Aug. 21, up 4,000 from the prior week, though still near pandemic lows, Labor Department data showed Thursday. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for a slight increase to 350,000 new applications.