Initial Jobless Claims Rise for First Time in Five Weeks

Initial jobless claims rose by 17,000 last week, the first rise in five weeks, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Claims rose to 361,000 for the week ended Saturday, Labor said.

The initial claims figure was higher than economists’ forecast of 360,000, Bloomberg reported.

The four-week moving average, a less-volatile measure, fell to 367,750 last week from 381,500.

Continuing jobless claims for the week ended Dec. 8 rose by 12,000 to 3.23 million.