A report released by the Labor Department Thursday said that the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits increased by 16,000 in June landing on a seasonally adjusted 360,000. Economists attribute several seasonal factors to the spike, as many schools are closed and automakers briefly shut down their factories in early July. The bigger picture for applications tells a story that is on par with U.S. economic recovery. Applications for the April-June quarter were the lowest numbers seen since the recession began and employers have added an average of 180,000 jobs in the last six months.
See "Unemployment Benefit Applications Rise to 360K", Christopher S. Rugaber, TIME, July 10, 2013