First-Time Jobless Claims Increase by 29,000

The number of Americans filing for state unemployment benefits rose last week, a move that left the number of new claims about where it has been since January. First-time jobless claims rose by 29,000 to a seasonally adjusted 317,000 for the week ended last Friday, the Labor Department said. The increase more than reversed a revised drop of 24,000 new claims during the week before last, to 288,000. The total number of people on the unemployment rolls rose by 74,000 to about 2.17 million in the week ended April 11, while the insured unemployment rate was unchanged at 1.8%, the department said.