WASHINGTON - Initial jobless claims increased 51,000 to 454,000 for the week ending Jan. 22, the highest level in three months, as snow storms in the Southeast caused a backlog of claims, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
Continuing claims increased to 3.991 million for the week ending Jan. 15, an increase of 94,000.
Economists expected 405,000 initial claims and 3.85 million continuing claims, according to the median estimate from Thomson Reuters.
Initial claims for the week ending Jan. 15 were revised lower to 403,000 from 404,000 reported last week. Continuing claims for the week ending Jan. 8 were revised to 3.897 million.
Last week's initial jobless claims jumped to the highest level since Oct. 30. Southeast states reported a backlog of claims following severe weather, which closed unemployment offices earlier this month. Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina reported an influx of initial claims once their unemployment offices reopened, a Labor Department official said.
Additionally, the first weeks of the year are historically volatile as holiday season workers are let go, the Labor official said.
The four-week moving average for initial claims, a less volatile indicator, increased to 438,750 from 413,000. The four-week average for continuing claims decreased to 3.976 million from 4.015 million.
