Applications for US unemployment aid tick higher to 254,000
WASHINGTON — More Americans sought unemployment benefits last week but the number of applications remained low, the latest sign that layoffs are scarce.
THE NUMBERS: The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly applications for jobless aid rose 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 254,000. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, ticked down to 256,000, matching a 43-year low first reached in April.
The number of people receiving aid dropped 46,000 to 2.1 million, the smallest number since July, 2000. Even in a healthy economy some people lose jobs as companies restructure.
THE TAKEAWAY: The economy is expanding, though at a sluggish pace, growing just 1.4 per cent in the April-June quarter, according to a separate government report Thursday.