Mary-Louise Hoffman
A U.S. Labor Department report indicates the number of first-time filings for unemployment insurance benefits fell by 4,250 to a seasonally adjusted 279,500 last week.
The figures mark the lowest level for a four-week rolling average of initial jobless claims in 15 years, DOL said Thursday.
The report also shows UI benefit claims filed by former federal civilian workers increased to 827 for the week ending April 25, compared with 860 filings in the previous week.
According to DOL, applications from newly discharged military veterans dropped from 1,208 in the week ended April 18 to 1,267 the following week.
The total number of UI benefit claimants for that week dropped by 105,948 to approximately 2.3 million.
