Initial Jobless Claims Back Over 400,000

Washington, DC, Feb. 17, 2011 -- Initial jobless claims rose slightly more than expected last week, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Initial claims increased by 25,000 to 410,000 in the week ended Feb.12 from 385,0000 in the previous week. Economists were expecting initial claims to rise to 408,000.

The number of Americans filing continuing claims -- those who have been receiving unemployment insurance for at least a week -- came in at 3.911 million for the week ended Feb. 5, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 3.910 million.