Jobless Applications Edge Up Last Week

Washington, DC, June 9, 2011 -- Initial applications for unemployment benefits ticked up 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 427,000 last week, the Labor Department said.

It was the ninth straight week in which applications have been above 400,000, after applications had been declining all winter.

Applications had fallen in February to 375,000, a level that signals sustainable job growth. They stayed below 400,000 for seven of nine weeks.