The number of US workers filing new claims for jobless aid unexpectedly fell by 34,000 last week, Labor Department data showed today, while a four-week average of new claims declined for a fourth straight week.
Initial claims for state unemployment insurance benefits dropped to a seasonally adjusted 601,000 in the week ended May 2 from a revised 635,000 the prior week, the Labor Department said. It was the lowest reading since late January.
Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast 635,000 new claims versus a previously reported count of 631,000 the week before.
Reuters