Economy, Unemployment Benefits | featured news

New claims for unemployment benefits fell last week to a three-month low, hinting at some improvement in the listless labor market.

Fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week, but the drop wasn't enough to reverse a big increase the previous week.

New claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week to their lowest level in two months, a hopeful sign for the troubled labor market.

New requests for unemployment benefits fell sharply last week, the first decline in a month and a hopeful sign after a raft of negative economic reports.

Employers appear to be laying off workers again as the economic recovery weakens. The number of people applying for unemployment benefits reached the half-million mark last week for the first time since November.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for unemployment insurance unexpectedly rose to its highest level in close to six months, a fresh signal of a weak jobs market.

Initial requests for jobless benefits rose last week to their highest level since April, a sign that hiring remains weak and some companies are still cutting workers. The Labor Department said Thursday that new claims for unemployment insurance rose by 19,000 to a seasonally adjusted 479,000. Analysts had expected a small drop. Claims have risen twice in the past three weeks.

New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits fell slightly more than expected last week, government data showed on Thursday.

Already grappling with a surge in claims for unemployment insurance, recession-weary state labor departments are also now dealing with increased fraud.

Initial claims for unemployment benefits rose last week for the second time in three weeks, a sign that layoffs are rising.