Higher layoffs push US jobless claims up

An increase in layoffs pushed US claims for unemployment insurance higher last week but the jobs market remains tight, Labor Department data showed Thursday. Initial jobless claims, a sign of the level of layoffs, rose by 17,000 in the week to April 30 to 274,000. While the Labor Department report does not tabulate layoffs, the consultancy Challenger, Gray and Christmas reported Wednesday that job cuts by US employers jumped 35 percent last month to more than 65,000, taking the total layoffs sin