First-time demands for employment insurance in the U.S. rose to 279,000 in the first week in June, the Labor Department reported on Thursday.Economists had expected jobless claims to decline slightly to 275,000 last week, from 276,000 for the week of May 30.Unemployment claims come in below 300,000 for 14 weeks in a row. The four-week moving average rose to 274,750 from 272,000 in the week of May 30. Continuing jobless claims, those of people who already receive unemployment benefits, climbed 61,000 to 2.27 million.The U.S. unemployment rate is at 5.5 percent. The Federal Reserve considers improvements in employment data as a factor in deciding whether to raise interest rates.