U.S. Jobless Claims Fell 39K to 547K in April 17 Week -- Update
April 22 2021 - 9:18AM
Dow Jones News
By Amara Omeokwe
Worker filings for jobless benefits declined to 547,000 last
week, a new pandemic low that adds to evidence of a strengthening
labor market and overall economic recovery.
Initial unemployment claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell 39,000
last week from an upwardly revised 586,000 the prior week. That put
new claims on a seasonally adjusted basis below 600,000 for two
consecutive weeks in mid-April, their lowest levels since early
2020. The four-week moving average, which smooths out volatility in
the weekly figures, was 651,000, also a pandemic low.
Claims remain higher than the pre-pandemic levels--the weekly
average in 2019 was about 218,000--but last week's drop extended a
downward trend since the start of this year.
Write to Amara Omeokwe at amara.omeokwe@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 22, 2021 09:03 ET (13:03 GMT)
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