NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - New claims for jobless benefits rose by 3,000 last week, in line with forecasts on Wall Street, a government report showed Thursday.

Initial claims for state unemployment insurance benefits rose to 322,000 the week ended Dec. 24 from an upwardly revised 319,000 the prior week, the Labor Department said.

The number of claims met economists' projections of 322,000, according to a survey by Briefing.com.

The closely watched four-week moving average of new claims, which flattens weekly volatility to provide a better picture of the job market, edged up to 325,000 in the week ended Dec. 24 from 324,750 a week earlier.

The number of continued claims -- a measure of how many people remained on benefit rolls after drawing an initial week of aid -- rose for a third straight week. Claims were up 85,000 to 2.7 million in the week ended Dec. 17, the latest week for which data are available.

------------------------

For more news affecting the economy, click here.