The number of unemployment benefits rose slightly last week to around 8000. However the four week average was less alarming and showed a decline in unemployment benefits being sought for the sixth straight week. While this could be an indication that a slight improvement is happening in the job market, July can often times be a  tricky month when the numbers are skewed for annual layoffs in the auto industry. Some automakers however, opted to skip the annual shutdown and may have contributed to the lower four week average.