WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - First-time applications for state unemployment benefits fell by 19,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 457,000, the lowest in six weeks, the Labor Department reported Thursday, confirming that U.S. labor markets remain very weak.
The four-week average of new claims was roughly unchanged at 462,750. The number of people who were collecting state benefits fell by 45,000 to 4.55 million in the week ending June 12.
Meanwhile, the total number of people collecting unemployment benefits of any kind rose by 155,000 to 9.66 million in the week ending June 5.
