Jobless benefit rolls fall, initial claims dip

WASHINGTON - The government says the number of people on the unemployment insurance rolls fell slightly for the first time in 20 weeks, while the tally of new claims also dipped.

The report provides a glimmer of good news for job seekers, though both figures remain significantly above the levels associated with a healthy economy.

The Labor Department says the tally of first-time claims for jobless benefits declined last week to a seasonally adjusted 621,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 625,000, nearly matching analysts' expectations.

The total jobless benefit rolls fell by 15,000 to 6.7 million, the first drop since early January. Continuing claims began setting records later that month and reached record highs for 17 straight weeks.