Claims for US jobless aid rise by 12,000 to 272,000

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose by 12,000 last week to 272,000 as Florida continued to absorb the economic impact of Hurricane Irma.
The Labour Department said today that the less-volatile four-week average rose by 9,000 to 277,750, highest since February 2016.
Overall, the number of Americans collecting unemployment checks has fallen nearly 7 per cent over the past year to 1.93 million.
In the aftermath of Irma, claims rose 81 per cent in Florida and 66 per cent in Georgia from a week earlier. But claims fell 29 per cent in Texas as the economic impact of Hurricane Harvey continued to fade.

Labour Department figures show claims fell last week in Puerto Rico, reeling from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. But the picture is unclear because Maria disrupted the collection of data.
Unemployment claims are a proxy for layoffs. Despite the impact of the storms, the overall level of claims remains low, suggesting that most American workers enjoy job security. The unemployment rate is at 4.4 per cent, near a 16-year low.
Employers are adding an average 176,000 jobs a month so far in 2017, solid but down from 187,000 a month last year and 226,000 a month in 2015. Many businesses complain that they can't find enough workers.