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Claims for unemployment benefits in the U.S. rose to their highest level since March 2002 with 455k initial claims reported in the week ending Aug. 2, but economists say new rules that make it easier to file a claim is putting upward pressure on the figures.

"The larger than expected rise is not a complete shock," said TD Securities economics strategist Charmaine Buskas. "The labor department did recently announce a 13 week extension to the benefits period and this has clearly caused a huge influx of re-filers."

Initial claims for unemployment benefits in the United States fell to 346k in the week ending July 5, following an unrevised 404k in the previous week. Continuing claims rose to 3.202 million for the week ending June 28, the Department of Labor reported Thursday.

Initial claims for unemployment benefits in the United States came in higher than expected with 381k claims in the week ending June 13, following a 2k upward revision to 386k in the previous week. Economists were divided as to what these figures mean for the broader economy.

"This is recession territory, at least if the experience of 2001 is a guide," said Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics.

The current pace of jobless claims is relatively low compared to the previous recession, some economists say. However, others note that the rise in continuing claims is consistent with a higher unemployment rate than its current 5.0%, suggesting more trouble in the labour market than the latest figures might indicate.

First-time claims for jobless benefits in the United States declined after hitting a two-and-a-half year high last week, the Department of Labor reported Thursday.

U.S. initial jobless claims came in lower-than-expected in the week ending April 5. A total of 357K initial jobless claims were filed; forecasts were looking for a total of 383k claims. The previous week's figure was revised to 410k from 407k - both are two-and-a-half year highs.