Jobless Claims Fall Again

June 28, 2001 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - New jobless claims fell for the third week in a row last week, sending signals that the pace of corporate layoffs may be abating.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that the number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits for the workweek ending June 23 declined by a seasonally adjusted 16,000 to 388,000.  That was the lowest point in nearly two months.

The more stable four-week moving average of jobless claims also fell last week.  The 416,000 claims reported was the lowest level since the beginning of the month.

Thursday’s report also revealed that for the workweek ending June 16, 42 states and territories reported a decrease in claims, while just 11 reported increases. Those figures are a week behind the national statistics and are not seasonally adjusted.

The largest drop in claims was reported by North Carolina, due to fewer layoffs in the food, electronics, trade, textile, apparel and furniture industries.

California reported the biggest jump in new claims, which rose by 1,262 because of layoffs in the electronics and agriculture industries.

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