First-time jobless claims cllimb by 13,000

First-time unemployment claims rose by 13,000 to 323,000 in the week ending Aug. 17, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday. The decline of 15,000 first time claims from the previous week was more than offset by an upward revision of 3,000 claims to 323,000 last week and the 13,000 additional claims for the current week. The current four-week moving average fell by 2,250 to 330,500, BLS reported. The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending Aug. 10 were in South Carolina, New York and Oregon with gains of 907, 762 and 685, respectively. The largest decreases were in California, Ohio and Texas with declines of 4,105, 1,554 and 894, respectively.