TL;DR
The U.S. jobless claims fell to a 45-year low, with 220,000 people filing for unemployment benefits for the week ending January 13. However, the latest numbers may overstate the health of the economy due to estimated data from several states.
Fewer Americans are filing for unemployment benefits. According to a Fox Business article, the number of people requesting that aid hit its lowest level in 45 years. However, the latest numbers may overstate the health of the economy. That’s because data for California, Arkansas, Kentucky, Maine, Hawaii, Virginia and Wyoming were estimated.
Citing data from Reuters, Fox Business notes that initial claims for unemployment benefits fell by 41,000 for the week ending January 13. Seasonally adjusted, that means that 220,000 filed for unemployment benefits, which is the lowest level seen since February 1973. It also marks the 150th straight week that unemployment claims stayed under 300,000, showing signs of a strong labor market.
In this story
This story was originally published in 1851 Franchise on January 18, 2018. Burnaze summarizes and links to the original reporting.
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