First-time jobless claims rise by 6,000

First-time jobless benefit claims rose by 6,000 in the week ending Saturday with 401,000 claims filed, the U.S. Labor Department said Thursday. The gain puts the weekly filing total above 400,000 after a week below that psychological barrier. The four-week rolling average for claims filed was 414,000, down 4,000 from the previous revised average, the department said. In August, the unemployment rate was 9.1 percent, unchanged from July. The unemployment rate for September is scheduled to be released Friday. In the week ending Sept. 24, Michigan had the largest increase in first-time jobless claims with 1,740. Pennsylvania had the largest decrease in claims for the week with 6,313 fewer claims filed.