Jobless claims jump by 15,000 in week

WASHINGTON, June 25 (UPI) -- First-time claims for U.S. unemployment insurance jumped by 15,000 during the week ending June 20, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday.

The 627,000 initial benefits claims contributed to a four-week rolling average to 617,250, which was a slight increase from the previous week's rolling average of 616,750.

The U.S. unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.4 percent.

The biggest increases in claims for the week ending June 13 were reported by Florida, with 8,383 additional claims; Pennsylvania, which added 3,191; and Missouri, which added 2,874, the report said.

State-by-state statistics lag a week behind the national report.

For the week ending June 13, the biggest decreases were reported by Michigan, with a decline of 5,414 claims; New York, declining by 5,299; and North Carolina, with 4,714 fewer claims than the week of June 6.