U.S. jobless claims jump 13,000 to 380,000 (by Jeffry Bartash)

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The number of Americans who filed requests for jobless benefits jumped by 13,000 last week to 380,000, the highest level since late January, the U.S. Labor Department said Thursday. Much of the increase in the week ended April 7 was related to spring break, when many school bus drivers and cafeteria workers are allowed to file claims. Claims from two weeks ago, however, were revised up to 367,000 from 357,000, an unusually sharp adjustment. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had projected claims would total a seasonally adjusted 359,000. The average of new claims over the past four weeks, meanwhile, rose by a smaller 4,250 to 368,500, the highest level in a month. The monthly average is seen as a more accurate gauge of labor-market trends because it reduces seasonal volatility in the weekly data. Continuing claims decreased by 98,000 to a seasonally adjusted 3.25 million in the week ended March 24, the Labor Department said. Continuing claims are reported with a one-week lag. About 6.95 million people received some kind of state or federal benefit in the week ended March 17, down 97,833 from the prior week. Total claims are reported with a two-week lag.