A new report from the Labor Department says that unemployment claims rose by 32,000 last week, the largest one-week gain since November 2012. Claims had fallen to nearly five-year lows in the previous two weeks. The Labor Department said that the furloughs of federal employees did not seem to be having an impact on unemployment. The unemployment rate fell to 7.5% in April, the lowest level in four years.
See "Jobless Claims Spike by 32,000", Eric Morath and Jonathan House, The Wall Street Journal, May 15, 2013