U.S. Initial Jobless Claims Fell 10,000 to 312,000 Last Week 数据不太利金

BY

The number of U.S. workers filing first-time applications for state jobless benefits fell last week, evidence demand is strong enough to encourage companies to retain workers.

Initial jobless claims decreased by 10,000 to 312,000 in the week that ended Aug. 12, the Labor Department said today in Washington. The four-week moving average, a less volatile measure, rose to 311,250 from 309,500.

Firings aren't picking up even as slower growth and higher energy costs prompt companies to add fewer jobs. Job and income growth is needed to keep consumer spending from stumbling as Federal Reserve policy makers nudge the economy to a slower pace of growth and keep inflation from flaring.

The economy is slowing but it's still growing strong enough to generate demand for labor.

Economists had forecast initial jobless claims would fall to 315,000 from the 319,000 initially reported for the prior week, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey. Estimates ranged from 310,000 to 322,000.

An increase in the total number of people receiving unemployment benefits is another sign hiring is slowing. Total benefit rolls rose to 2.507 million in the week that ended Aug. 5, the highest since February, from 2.473 million in the prior week.

The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits, which tends to track the U.S. jobless rate, held at 1.9 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag.

[ Last edited by BY on 2006-8-17 at 08:53 PM ]