US applications for jobless benefits rise but remain historically low despite recent layoffs

By MATT OTT
AP Business Writer

More Americans applied for jobless benefits last week, but layoffs remain historically low even as more high-profile companies have announced job cuts this year. Applications for unemployment benefits rose by 13,000 to 215,000 for the week ending Feb. 24, the Labor Department reported Thursday. In total, 1.9 million Americans were collecting jobless benefits during the week that ended Feb. 17, up 45,000 from the previous week and the most since November. Weekly unemployment claims are broadly viewed as representative of the number of U.S. layoffs in a given week.