Initial Jobless Claims Hold Steady

Washington, DC, Feb. 19, 2009--Initial jobless claim were unchanged at 627,000 for the week ending Feb. 14, the Labor Department reported on Thursday.

The four-week average of initial claims, which measures the underlying trend, rose by 10,500 to 619,000.

Continuing claims rose by 170,000 to 4.98 million in the week ending Feb. 7, a 27-year high. The four-week average of continuing claims climbed by 92,500, to 4.83 million, also a 27-year high.