Applications for U.S. Jobless Benefits Reach Five-Week High
U.S. Employment Picture: The State of the Jobs Market
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The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits climbed to the highest level in five weeks, representing a pause in the recent progress that left claims at their lowest level since 1973.
Applications increased by 16,000 to 276,000 in the week ended Oct. 31, a Labor Department report showed Thursday. It marked the biggest advance since the end of February, while the level exceeded the Bloomberg survey median estimate of 262,000. The four-week average of claims climbed from the lowest in four decades.