U.S. Jobless Claims Rise But Remain Near A Half-Century Low
Newsy
The four-week average of claims, which levels out week-to-week ups and downs, edged up from 170,000 to 172,000.
The number of people seeking unemployment benefits ticked up last week but remained at a historically low level, reflecting a robust U.S. labor market with near record-high job openings and few layoffs.
Jobless claims rose by 18,000 to 185,000, the Labor Department said Thursday, after nearly touching the lowest level since 1968 in the previous week. The four-week average of claims, which levels out week-to-week ups and downs, edged up from 170,000 to 172,000.
"Claims are still at very low levels, underscoring historically tight labor market conditions,'' said Nancy Vanden Houten, lead U.S. economist at Oxford Economics. "We expect initial claims to remain below (200,000) in the weeks ahead, as employers, who continue to struggle to attract and retain workers, will keep layoffs to a minimum.''
