WASHINGTON – Filings for U.S. unemployment benefits fell close to the lowest level since the 1970s, consistent with a still-improving labor market.
Jobless claims declined to 234,000 in the week ended Jan. 14 from a revised 249,000 in the prior period, a Labor Department report showed Thursday in Washington.
The median projection of 44 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for 252,000. Continuing claims dropped to 2.046 million in the week ended Jan. 7 from 2.093 million the previous week, the report showed.