Washington, Rabi’II 25, 1437, February 4, 2016 -- New claims for U.S. employment insurance benefits edged higher last week, the government said Thursday, but the overall labor market has been showing improvement. The Labor Department reported that initial jobless claims rose by 8,000 to 285,000 in the week ending January 30. The prior week’s level was revised to 277,000 from the previous estimate of 278,000. The four-week moving average increased by 2,000 to 284,750. A year ago, it was 289,000. Applications for unemployment benefits have remained below 300,000 since late February 2015 as the job market tightens. --SPA 21:47 LOCAL TIME 18:47 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w