New US jobless claims rise unexpectedly to 627K

WASHINGTON: The US government says the number of Americans filing first-time claims for jobless benefits increased last week, partly due to layoffs related to the end of the school year.

The Labor Department says new jobless claims rose by 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 627,000. Economists expected a drop to 600,000 claims, according to Thomson Reuters.

A department analyst says that states reported more claims than expected from teachers, cafeteria workers and other school employees.

The number of people continuing to receive unemployment insurance rose by 29,000 to 6.74 million, slightly above analysts' estimates of 6.7 million.