MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti) – The number of initial jobless claims in the United States has dropped by 36,000 to a seasonally adjusted 280,000 in the week ending September 13, which is the second-lowest level in 14 years, the US Labor Department stated on Thursday.
Analysts polled by Reuters believed that the number of applications would be at around 305,000. The previous record was revised to 316,000 from 315,000. The average number of initial claims for four weeks ended September 13 fell by 4,750 - to 299,500.
The number of people receiving unemployment benefits for the week ending September 6 was 2.429 million, having decreased by 58,000 compared with the revised figure of the previous reporting period.
The number of initial claims for unemployment benefits (Initial Jobless Claims) is published weekly by the US Department of Labor. The indicator reflects the number of people who first applied for benefits during the reporting week.
