Applications for US Jobless Benefits Fall to a Four-Month Low
Applications for US unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level since May, indicating the job market remains healthy despite a slowdown in hiring.
Initial claims decreased by 12,000 to 219,000 in the week ended Sept. 14, according to Labor Department data released Thursday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 230,000 applications. The period also corresponds with the so-called reference week when the survey is conducted for the September employment report.
Continuing claims, a proxy for the number of people receiving benefits, also dropped, to 1.83 million, in the week ended Sept. 7.
Source: Bloomberg