New claims for US jobless benefits fell for the first time in three weeks, the government said Thursday amid persistent concerns that unemployment may dampen recovery.
Claims fell to 457,000 in the week ending June 19, a decrease of 19,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 476,000, the Labor Department said. Most economists had expected claims to fall to 460,000. The four-week moving average of jobless insurance claims, a less volatile indicator than the week-to-week figures, was 462,750, a decrease of 1,500 from the previous week’s revised average of 464,250.
The department said the total number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits also fell. During the week ending June 12, that figure was over 4.5 million, decreasing by 45,000 from the preceding week. Unemployment stands at 9.7 percent, posing a major threat to US recovery from the most severe recession in decades. The United States has lost more than eight million jobs since the economy entered recession in December 2007.
Washington, June 24, 2010 (AFP)
