WASHINGTON - Seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims jumped 27,000 to 412,000 for the week ending April 9, the highest level since Feb. 12, when they were 420,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
Department officials said that while the gain was expected because it after the end of the quarter, it was higher than expected.
Continuing claims fell to 3.680 million for the week ending April 2, the lowest level since Sept. 27, 2008, when they were 3.636 million.
Economists had projected 380,000 initial claims and 3.70 million continuing claims, according to the median estimate from Thomson Reuters.
The four-week moving average of initial claims, a less volatile figure, rose to 395,750 and the four-week average for continuing claims dropped to 3.728 million.
Alaska's data was estimated for this report, department officials said.
For the week ending April 2, four states reported an increase in initial claims of more than 1,000, led by Massachusetts, which was up 2,575. Three states reported a decrease of more than 1,000 initial claims. California had the largest drop, at 8,095.
