WASHINGTON — Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell 29,000 to 409,000 after seasonal adjustment in the May 14 week, with no sign of auto- or storm-related claims in the current week’s data, the Labor Department said Thursday.
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Seasonal factors were expected to cause a decline of 3.9%, or about 15,000 unadjusted claims in the current week. Instead, unadjusted claims fell 39,865 to 357,872 in the current week. Unadjusted claims were at 414,572 in the comparable week a year earlier.
The initial claims seasonally adjusted four-week moving average rose 1,250 to 439,000 in the May 14 week, the sixth consecutive increase.
