Initial jobless claims climbed again last week, rising to 362,000 as hiring appeared to remain sluggish while the U.S. continues to fight against the delta variant.

Dow Jones economists had expected 335,000 new filings last week, which was the same as the revised upwardly from the prior week.

This was the largest total since Aug. 7, when it reached 377,000. This indicates that there may be a slowdown in hiring at a time of growing concerns over the speed of recovery and what the effects the pandemic could have on the economy.

Stock futures continued rising while government bond yields were flat. Markets did not react to this news.