WASHINGTON -- New applications for US unemployment benefits fell last week by 19,000 to a seasonally-adjusted 366,000, the Labor Department said Thursday, putting claims at the lowest level since May 2008. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected claims to rise by 9,000 to 390,000 in the week ended Dec. 10. Claims
from two weeks ago were revised up to 385,000 from 381,000. Jobless
claims have held below 400,000 -- a level historically associated with
an improving labor market -- in five of the past six weeks. The
average of new claims over the past month, meanwhile, fell by 6,500 to
387,750, to the lowest level since July 2008. Continuing claims rose by
4,000 to a seasonally-adjusted 3.6 million in the week ended Dec. 3. About 7.45 million people received some kind of state or federal
benefit in the week ended Nov. 26, an increase of 874,670 from the prior
week. Read more: |
