The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell slightly more than expected last week, indicating that the labor market recovery was gaining traction.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits decreased 17,000 to a seasonally adjusted 232,000 for the week ended Feb.19, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 235,000 applications for the latest week.
Claims had risen in the week ending Feb. 12, which economists blamed on week-to-week volatility in the data and the delayed impact of winter storms early in the month.
With a near record 10.9 million job openings at the end of
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