Initial jobless claims and continuing claims fall, evidence that layoffs are easing

September 10th, 2009 New jobless claims fall more than expected to 550KWASHINGTON — First-time claims for jobless benefits fell more than expected last week, evidence that companies are laying off fewer workers as the economy improves. The Labor Department said Thursday that initial claims for unemployment insurance fell to a seasonally adjusted 550,000 from an upwardly revised 576,000 in the previous week.

September 3rd, 2009 Summary Box: Jobless claims dip less than expectedJOBLESS CLAIMS ELEVATED: The Labor Department said the number of laid-off workers applying for benefits dipped to 570,000 from an upwardly revised 574,000 the previous week. The number of Americans continuing to receive benefits rose unexpectedly to 6.23 million.

August 27th, 2009 New jobless claims and total benefit rolls dropWASHINGTON — The government says the number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for jobless benefits dropped last week, and the number of people remaining on the rolls also fell, evidence that layoffs have eased. Still, both figures remain above levels associated with a healthy economy, and analysts expect the unemployment rate to keep rising.

August 21st, 2009 Summary Box: Jobless claims bad sign for recoveryWHAT HAPPENED?: New jobless claims rose for the second straight week, disappointing analysts who were expecting a drop. At the same time, an index of leading economic indicators and a regional manufacturing index rose, providing more evidence that the economy may be recovering.

August 13th, 2009 New jobless claims rise unexpectedly to 558,000WASHINGTON — The number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits rose unexpectedly last week, while the tally of continuing claims fell. Despite the increase in new claims, they remain below peak levels above 600,000 where they were stuck for most of this year.

August 6th, 2009 Summary Box: Jobless claims drop as layoffs slowWHAT HAPPENED: The government said Thursday that initial jobless claims fell to 550,000 last week from 588,000 the previous week. While still high, new claims have dropped by about 50,000 in the past month.

August 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON — The number of newly-laid off workers seeking unemployment insurance fell last week, the government said Thursday, fresh evidence that layoffs are easing. The Labor Department said that initial claims for jobless benefits dropped to a seasonally adjusted 550,000 for the week ending Aug.

June 25th, 2009 New jobless claims rise unexpectedly to 627KWASHINGTON — The number of people filing new jobless claims jumped unexpectedly last week, and the total unemployment benefit rolls rose to more than 6.7 million. The Labor Department data released Thursday show jobs remain scarce even as the economy shows some signs of recovering from the longest recession since World War II.

June 18th, 2009 Total jobless rolls drop sharply to nearly 6.8MWASHINGTON — The total number of people on the unemployment insurance rolls has dropped for the first time since early January, while first-time claims for benefits rose slightly. The Labor Department says the total unemployment insurance rolls fell by 148,000 to 6.76 million, the largest drop in more than seven years and a sign that layoffs are easing.

June 11th, 2009 New jobless claims drop more than expected to 601KWASHINGTON — The number of newly laid-off Americans filing for jobless benefits fell for the third time in the past four weeks, fresh evidence that companies are cutting fewer jobs. The Labor Department said Thursday that initial claims for unemployment benefits fell last week by 24,000 to a seasonally adjusted 601,000.

June 4th, 2009 Summary Box: Jobless claims dip, but work scarceJOBLESS CLAIMS EASE: The number of newly laid-off workers filing initial claims for unemployment insurance fell Thursday, and so did the total number of people on the jobless benefit rolls. JOBS STILL SCARCE: Still, the drops were small and there is little indication companies are hiring.

May 14th, 2009 New jobless rise more than expected to 637KWASHINGTON — New jobless claims rose more than expected last week due partly to an increase in layoffs by the automobile industry, while the number of people continuing to receive unemployment benefits set a record for the 15th straight week The Labor Department said Thursday the number of new claims rose to a seasonally adjusted 637,000, from a revised 605,000 the previous week. That's above analysts' expectations of 610,000.

May 14th, 2009 New jobless rise more than expected to 637,000WASHINGTON — New jobless claims rose more than expected last week due partly to an increase in layoffs by the automobile industry, while the number of people continuing to receive unemployment benefits set a record for the 15th straight week The Labor Department said Thursday the number of new claims rose to a seasonally adjusted 637,000, from a revised 605,000 the previous week. That's above analysts' expectations of 610,000.

April 23rd, 2009 New jobless claims rise more than expected to 640KWASHINGTON — New jobless claims rose more than expected last week, while the number of workers continuing to filing claims for unemployment benefits topped 6.1 million. Both figures are fresh evidence layoffs persist amid a weak job market that is not expected to rebound anytime soon.

February 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The number of Americans living on unemployment benefits has topped five million for the first time with as many as 667,000 filing initial jobless claims last week, the highest since October 1982. For the week ended Feb 21, 667,000 Americans filed initial claims for unemployment insurance, up 36,000 from a revised 631,000 the previous week, according to a Labour Department report released Thursday.