New claims for state unemployment benefits rose by 16,000 to just over 350,000 for the last week ending September 18th. Forecasters believed new jobless claims would only reach 320,000. That figure would still be far above the 200,000 to 250,000 range which is considered "healthy" by economists. Hospitality and leisure hiring was hit especially hard in August as the Delta variant swept across the nation. The Fed, however, anticipates massive gains in employment as it signaled the beginning of its bond "tapering" program and a potential increase in interest rates.