NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- In two indications of continuing job market weakness, a drop in the government's weekly reading of initial unemployment claim filings failed to match the surge of the prior week, and the number of people filing on an ongoing basis rose to a record high for the 16th straight week.
A total of 631,000 people filed new claims for jobless benefits in the week ended May 16, the Labor Department said. That's a decrease of 12,000 from an upwardly revised 643,000 in the previous week.
