Initial Jobless Claims Rise Unexpectedly

Washington, DC, May 20, 2010--Initial jobless claims rose 25,000 in the latest week, the Labor Department said.

Claims laims rose to 471,000 in the week ended May 15, the highest level in a month. One-third of the increase occurred in California.

Economists predicted initial claims would drop on the week.

A Labor Department official said there were no unusual factors to explain the latest increase.

The four-week average of initial claims -- a better gauge of employment trends than the volatile weekly number -- also rose, up by 3,000 to 453,500. Read the full government report.