A day after a steep stock-market selloff, fueled in large part by worries about a double-dip recession, the latest report on the jobs market lent more credence to those concerns.

The Labor Department said weekly claims for first-time unemployment insurance rose by 2,000 last week, to 484,000. While not a huge jump, the increase was far worse than the decline of 14,000 or so, economists had been expecting. More troubling, however, is that this far into what is still being billed in many circles as an economic recovery, there aren’t many jobs to be had for those seeking one.

Weekly jobless claims haven’t been this high since February.

The four-week moving average, which economists like because it can smooth volatility in the weekly numbers, increased by 14,250 to 473,500. Continuing claims, which show benefits taken for more than one week, fell by 118,000 to 4,452,000, but the preceding week's level was revised higher to 4,570,000.