The Labor Department says new jobless claims rose by 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 627,000. Economists expected a drop to 600,000 claims, according to Thomson Reuters.

A department analyst says that states reported more claims than expected from teachers, cafeteria workers and other school employees.

The number of people continuing to receive unemployment insurance rose by 29,000 to 6.74 million, slightly above analysts' estimates of 6.7 million.
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