TL;DR
The Labor Department reported a small increase in unemployment claims, with 291,000 Americans filing for benefits. The total is still below the recent average of 308,500 a week.
The Labor Department reported today that Americans are filing more unemployment benefit claims, totaling 291,000. However, the total is still below the recent average.
Weekly claims for unemployment insurance serve as a stand-in for layoffs and if the number is decreasing, it’s a gauge for the labor market’s improving condition. Since the recession, unemployment claims have fallen – averaging 417,000 a week in 2008 compared with 308,500 a week last year.
In this story
This story was originally published in 1851 Franchise on March 19, 2015. Burnaze summarizes and links to the original reporting.
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