A poor showing for the U.S. labor market sent oil prices lower in early Thursday trading, with key indices off about a half percent from the previous session.

The U.S. Labor Department reported seasonally adjusted claims for unemployment at 282,000 for the week ending May 23, an increase of 7,000 from the previous week. The four-week moving average rose by 5,000 and, for the week ending May 16, the insured unemployment rate of 1.7 percent represented a 0.1 percent increase from the previous week.

Weak overall demand in a market with a surplus of oil pushed crude oil markets into bearish territory, dropping below the $50 per barrel mark at times in early 2015. Markets have since recovered somewhat, though economic growth remains sluggish.

West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, was off about six-tenths of a percent to $57.12 per barrel, down nearly $2 per barrel since the start of May. Brent, the global standard, fell about four-tenths of a percent to $61.77 per barrel, off nearly $5 per barrel from the start of the month.

Unemployment in Texas, the No. 1 oil producer in the nation, rose by about 1.9 percent. For North Dakota, the No. 2 oil producer, unemployment fell by about 9 percent.

A mid-May report from the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, led by former Mexican President Felipe Calderon, found uneven growth and price uncertainty is problematic for a global economy still linked strongly to crude oil.

Oil markets are waiting on developments from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which holds a summer meeting in June. A November decision by OPEC to keep production steady despite a weak market sent crude oil prices tumbling through the end of the year.

OPEC members said they needed to protect their market share against advances from the United States.