Initial jobless claims remain higher than expected

(April 26, 2012) -- "The higher-than-expected level of initial claims in the latest week marked the third consecutive week that claims have held in the 388,000 to 389,000 range, which was up notably from the average 362,000 to 364,000 range in March and marking a break from the broadly downward trend evident since September 2011," said Janzen. "The recent weekly increases are consistent with the view that favorable weather contributed to part of the downward trend as warmer-than-normal winter temperatures resulted in fewer seasonal layoffs.