Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 33,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 258,000 for the week ended October 5.

The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits rose marginally last week, but Hurricane Helene's rampage in the U.S. Southeast and strikes at Boeing and ports could distort the labor market picture in the near term.

Applications for jobless benefits are widely considered representative of U.S. layoffs in a given week, but they can be volatile and susceptible to historic events.