WASHINGTON (PNN) - April 8, 2010 - The number of newly laid-off workers seeking unemployment benefits rose last week, a sign that jobs remain scarce even as officials continue to tell the Amerikan people that the economy is recovering.

The Labor Department said Thursday that first-time claims increased by 18,000 in the week ended April 3, to a seasonally adjusted 460,000. That's worse than economists' estimates of a drop to 435,000, according to a survey by Thomson Reuters.

Kalifornia also closed its state offices for a holiday on March 31, which likely held down the claims figures. On an unadjusted basis, claims rose by 6,500 to nearly 415,000.