The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose 9,000 last week and so-called continued claims notched a fresh record as a year-long U.S. recession continued to slam the labor market, data on Thursday showed.

Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast 645,000 new claims versus a previously reported count of 639,000 the week before.

(Reporting by Alister Bull; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Unemployment