Jobless Claims in U.S. Decline to Lowest Level Since November
- Applications for benefits unexpectedly fall to 262,000
- Four-week average also retreats during jobs report survey week
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The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly declined last week to a three-month low, signaling durability in the labor market.
Initial jobless claims dropped by 7,000 to 262,000 in the week ended Feb. 13, the lowest since Nov. 21, a report from the Labor Department showed on Thursday. Last week coincided with the period that the government surveys businesses and households to calculate payrolls and the jobless rate for February.