The number of people making jobless claims rose last week to its highest four-week in more than two years, showing signs of a slower job market.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that weekly jobless claims for the week ending Dec. 15 were 346,000, an increase of 12,000 from the previous week's figure of 334,000.

The four-week moving average for insured unemployment was 2,633,000, an increase of 23,000 from the preceding week's revised average of 2,610,000.

Unemployment