New US jobless claims higher in past week
Posted: 30 July 2009 2302 hrs
Job seekers look over job opening fliers at the WorkSource exhibit in Pasadena, California.
WASHINGTON: New US unemployment claims rose in the past week to 584,000, according to a weekly government update that showed some signs of improvement in a weak labour market.
The Labour Department said the number of claims in the week ending July 25 rose by 25,000 from an upwardly revised figure the previous week.
However, the four-week moving average - sometimes seen as a more reliable indicator of trends - fell by 8,250 from the prior week to 559,000.
Other details in the report also showed positive signs.
The number of people receiving unemployment benefits during the week ending July 18 was 6,197,000, a decrease of 54,000 from the preceding week. The four-week moving average fell by 131,750 to was 6,416,250.
The insured unemployment rate for the week to July 18 was unchanged at 4.7 percent.
The weekly report is one of the most timely reports of the job market, which is a key indicator of economic momentum.
The unemployment rate hit 9.5 percent in June, a 26-year high, amid a painful recession that began in December 2007. - AFP/de
Posted: 30 July 2009 2302 hrs
Job seekers look over job opening fliers at the WorkSource exhibit in Pasadena, California.
WASHINGTON: New US unemployment claims rose in the past week to 584,000, according to a weekly government update that showed some signs of improvement in a weak labour market.
The Labour Department said the number of claims in the week ending July 25 rose by 25,000 from an upwardly revised figure the previous week.
However, the four-week moving average - sometimes seen as a more reliable indicator of trends - fell by 8,250 from the prior week to 559,000.
Other details in the report also showed positive signs.
The number of people receiving unemployment benefits during the week ending July 18 was 6,197,000, a decrease of 54,000 from the preceding week. The four-week moving average fell by 131,750 to was 6,416,250.
The insured unemployment rate for the week to July 18 was unchanged at 4.7 percent.
The weekly report is one of the most timely reports of the job market, which is a key indicator of economic momentum.
The unemployment rate hit 9.5 percent in June, a 26-year high, amid a painful recession that began in December 2007. - AFP/de
