Market Watch
Jeffry Bartash
Oct. 4, 2018
Layoffs in the U.S. remain near the lowest level in 50 yearsThe numbers: The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits declined at the end of September and returned close to a 49-year low as the effects of Hurricane Florence faded.
Initial jobless claims, a rough way to measure layoffs, dropped 8,000 to 207,000 in the seven days ended Sept. 29. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had predicted a 213,000 reading.
The monthly average of new claims, meanwhile, slipped by 500 and also totaled 207,000, the government said Thursday.
The number of people already collecting unemployment benefits fell by 13,000 to 1.65 million. These are known as “continuing†claims.
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https://www.marketwatch.com/story/jobless-claims-fall-by-8000-to-207000-in-wake-of-hurricane-florence-2018-10-04?mod=newsviewer_click