Posted on 04/23/2015 8:06:13 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The number of Americans seeking first-time unemployment benefits rose slightly last week, but remained consistent with an economy steadily adding jobs.
Initial jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs across the U.S. economy, increased by 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 295,000 in the week ended April 18, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal expected 290,000 claims.
Claims for the prior week were not revised.
The claims reading had been volatile in recent months, but the figures are settling back near the lowest levels of the economic expansion.
The four-week moving average of claims, which smooths weekly volatility, rose by 1,750 to 284,500. That is just above the post-recession low of 282,500 touched earlier this month.
The low level of layoffs signals that the labor market is making gains despite a slowdown in hiring last month. The economy added 126,000 jobs in March, far below the average 269,000 jobs created in the prior 12 months, the Labor Department reported in early April. The unemployment rate held steady at 5.5%, slightly above the 5%-to-5.2% range that the Federal Reserve considers the economy's long-run average.
But while job growth has been steady and layoffs are historically low, there are other signs of weakness in the labor market. Wage gains have struggled to accelerate beyond a 2% annual pace and the share of Americans working or seeking work is near the lowest level since the 1970s.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxbusiness.com ...
Wow, really on the “mend” now!
I guess a lull is needed for rising numbers, to setup future “improvements”.
Lather, Rinse, Repeat...
Getting ready for Recovery Summer 7.
Lies! All lies!
Racist lies!
These stats are just put out by racists to make the FBP look bad!
Obama's Great Economy..............
Things are really bad when Frederick’s of Hollywood goes belly up. :)
Perhaps another reason for Valerie’s dog and pony show this morning.
Three weeks in a row; that’s unexpected! Who would have guessed that with Obama still in our White House, Obamacare still adding to the cost of hiring, EPA and NLRB on the warpath, and FedGov regulations expanding at the fastest rate in history, people would continue losing their jobs?
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