Economics

U.S. Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Decline to a Three-Week Low

A job seeker checks in to a job fair in Washington, D.C.Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

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By William Edwards and Jeff Kearns

October 10, 2019 at 12:30 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Applications for unemployment benefits in the U.S. unexpectedly declined to a three-week low despite a strike by General Motors Co. workers that continues to reverberate through supporting industries.

Jobless claims dropped by 10,000 to 210,000 in the week ended Oct. 5, according to Labor Department figures released Thursday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 220,000. The four-week average, a less-volatile measure, edged up to 213,750.