MW: U.S. initial jobless claims rise 12,000 to 472,000
By Rex Nutting
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - First-time applications for state unemployment benefits rose by 12,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 472,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday, providing further evidence that U.S. labor markets remain very weak. Meanwhile, the total number of people collecting unemployment benefits of any kind fell by 350,000 to 9.47 million in the week ending May 29 from 9.82 million. The number of people collecting federal benefits fell by 170,000 to 5.28 million.
