WASHINGTON, April 13: New claims for US jobless aid rose an unexpectedly large 12,000 last week, government data showed on Thursday, but underlying measures of the labour market continued to show robust conditions.

First-time claims for state unemployment insurance benefits advanced to 313,000 in the week ended April 8, compared with an upwardly revised 301,000 the prior week, the Labour Department said.

Wall Street analysts polled by Reuters had expected 300,000 new claims, up from an initially reported 299,000 the prior week. A Labour Department official said there were no special factors affecting the data.

The four-week moving average of new claims, which smooths volatile weekly data to offer a better picture of underlying labour market trends, shrank by 1,500 last week to 307,500.—Reuters