|
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 6,000 to
a seasonally adjusted 271,000 for the week ended Aug. 22, the
Labor Department said on Thursday.
It was the first decline since July 18. Claims for the prior
week were unrevised. Economists had forecast claims falling to
274,000 last week.
A Labor Department analyst said there were no special factors
influencing the data and no states had been estimated.The
four-week moving average of claims, considered a better measure
of labor market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility,
rose 1,000 to 272,500 last week. It was the 22nd straight week
that the four-week average remained below the 300,000 threshold,
which is usually associated with a strengthening labor market.
Thursday's claims report showed the number of people still
receiving benefits after an initial week of aid rose 13,000 to
2.27 million in the week ended Aug. 15. The so-called continuing
claims data covered the week during which the government
surveyed households for the August unemployment rate.
Continuing claims were little changed between the July and
August survey periods, suggesting the jobless rate likely held
at a seven-year low of 5.3 percent.
((Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Paul Simao))
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
