ZCZC
BCN-25
US-ECONOMY-UNEMPLOYMENT
U.S. jobless claims drop last week
WASHINGTON, Sept. 13, 2019 (BSS/Xinhua) – The number of initial jobless
claims in the United States decreased last week, according to a report
released by the U.S. Labor Department on Thursday.
In the week ending Sept. 7, the number of people filing for U.S.
unemployment benefits decreased by 15,000 to 204,000. Meanwhile, the previous
week’s level was revised up by 2,000 from 217,000 to 219,000.
The report also showed that four-week moving average of initial claims, a
method to iron out data volatility, decreased by 4,250 to 212,500. The
previous week’s average was revised up by 500 to 216,750.
As an important leading indicator to reflect unemployment status in the
United States, a lower reading in jobless claims indicates lower overall
layoffs. The reading of jobless claims remained below the 300,000 threshold,
signaling a tight labor market in the United States.
For the bigger picture of U.S. labor market, U.S. employers added 130,000
jobs in August, fewer than expected, and the unemployment rate was unchanged
at 3.7 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Sept. 6.
BSS/XINHUA/HR/1515