The Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week. The report will be released at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time Thursday. INCREASE LIKELY: Economists expect that the number of people seeking benefits rose 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 315,000, according to a survey by FactSet. Applications fell in the previous report to 300,000, the lowest level in almost seven years. EASTER SURPRISE: The number of people seeking jobless aide has stayed at pre-recession levels for several months. Because applications are a proxy for layoffs, the current level of jobless claims is a ... (full story)