U.S. Jobless Claims Rise But Hold Near Pandemic Low

Jobless claims ticked up slightly but remained near a pandemic low last week, a sign the job-market recovery remains on sound footing despite uncertainty surrounding the Delta variant of Covid-19.

Unemployment claims edged up to 353,000 last week from a revised 349,000 a week earlier, the Labor Department said Thursday. That was the lowest level for claims since the coronavirus hit in March 2020.

The four-week moving average, which smooths out volatility in the weekly figures, fell to a new pandemic low of 366,500 last week.

Layoff GaugeWhile down from January, applications for unemployment...