Washington, Sep 26 (IANS) The number of Americans initially applying for unemployment aid fell again last week to nearly the lowest level in seven years, the US Labour Department reported Thursday.
In the week ending Sep 21, the advance figure of seasonally adjusted initial claims for jobless benefits fell by 5,000 to 305,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 310,000.
The figure unexpectedly plunged to 294,000, the lowest level since April 2006, three weeks ago as a computer system update in California and Nevada delayed the processing of applications.
Those states have caught up with a recent backlog of new applications, according to a department spokesman.
The four-week moving average, which helps smooth out week-to-week volatility, declined by 7,000 to 308,000, the fewest since June 2007, and stayed well below the benchmark level of 375,000, which indicates a sustained recovery in employment.
The advance figure of seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending Sep 14 stood at 2.823 million, up 35,000 from the previous week.
The US unemployment rate edged down to 7.3 percent in August, the lowest since December 2008, and the economy added 169,000 jobs in the month.