First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits inched slightly higher in the week ended December 2nd, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday.
The report said initial jobless claims ticked up to 220,000, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level of 219,000.
Economist had expected jobless claims to rise to 222,000 from the 218,000 originally reported for the previous week.
The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also crept up to 220,750, an increase of 500 from the previous week's revised average of 220,250.
