Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 21,000 to a seasonally adjusted 218,000 for the week ended May 14, the highest level since January, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 200,000 applications for the latest week.
The U.S. central bank has raised its policy interest rate by 75 basis points since March. The Fed is expected to hike the overnight rate by half a percentage point at each of its next meetings in June and July. Last week's data covered the period during which the government surveyed employers for the nonfarm payrolls portion of May's employment report. Claims rose between the April and May survey period. Payrolls increased by 428,000 in April, the 12th straight month of employment gains in excess of 400,000.