U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Rise To 247,000

(RTTNews) - With the more closely watched monthly jobs report looming, the Labor Department released a report on Thursday showing first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly increased in the week ended May 31st.

The report said initial jobless claims climbed to 247,000, an increase of 8,000 from the previous week's revised level of 239,000.

Economists had expected jobless claims to dip to 235,000 from the 240,000 originally reported for the previous week.

The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also rose to 235,000, an increase of 4,500 from the previous week's revised average of 230,500.