US unemployment aid applications stay at 370,000
The number of people seeking unemployment benefits was unchanged last week, suggesting steady gains in the job market.
The Labor Department says weekly unemployment aid applications were a seasonally adjusted 370,000, the same as the previous week. The four week average, a less volatile measure, fell to 375,000.
Applications for benefits surged in April to a five-month high of 392,000. They have fallen back since then and are near the lowest levels in four years.
The decline suggests hiring could pick up in May after slumping in the previous two months. When applications drop below 375,000 a week, it suggests the unemployment rate will fall.
AP
Related Articles
- US unemployment aid applications rise to 365,000
- Jobless claims surge; seasonal issues a factor
- US jobless claims plunge to lowest in 4 years
- US jobless aid applications fall to 6-week low
More News
- Rome Protest Turns Up Heat On New PM Letta
- North Korea Fires Three Short-Range Missiles
- GOP hopes IRS scandal will snag health care law
- Japan Economy on the Road to Recovery
- Assad: Syria transition talks are internal matter
- Suspected US drone in Yemen kills 4 militants
- WHO: Death Toll From New Bird Flu In China Rises To 36
- Former Argentine Dictator Videla Dies In Prison At Age 87
- IMF says Cyprus at risk of even deeper recession
- UN says Syrian refugees top 1.5M
