WASHINGTON, Feb 25 (APP/AFP): More Americans filed applications
for unemployment insurance benefits but the trend continued to point
to an improving labor market, official data released Thursday showed.
Initial jobless claims, a sign of the pace of layoffs, rose by 10,000 to
272,000 in the week ending February 20, the Labor Department said. In the prior week, claims had fallen to a four-month low.
The four-week moving average slipped by 1,250 to 272,000 last week. It
was 294,750 a year ago.
The report indicated stabilization in layoffs following a spike in
claims in December and January that analysts linked to workforce adjustments for the holiday season.
“Amid signs that the tightening in financial market conditions is
beginning to affect parts of the economy, the job market is still doing well,” said Ryan Sweet of Moody’s Analytics.