Unemployment claims rose last week

The US Department of Labor said that claims for unemployment benefits in the US rose by 14,000 to a seasonally adjusted 202,000 for the week ending March 26. Continuous jobless claims fell by 35 thousand to 1.307 million during the week ending March 19, which is the lowest level for continuous unemployment benefits since December 1969. A report by global recruitment firm Challenge, Gray & Christmas showed that US employers announced 21,387 jobs in March, up 40.3% from February but down 30% from a year ago.