Unemployment soars to record 6.02 million

The song remains the same in the nation's labor market. Continuing claims surged 172,000 to a record 6.02 million, the U.S. Labor Department announced Thursday, as more Americans found it hard to find comparable employment amid the nation's worst recession since 1981-82.

Meanwhile, initial jobless claims decreased 53,000 to 610,000 for the week ending April 11, the Labor Department said. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg News had expected this week's initial jobless claims to total 658,000. The four-week moving average decreased 8,500 to 659,500.