WASHINGTON — The Labor Department said Thursday that 428,000 people filed new applications last week for US unemployment benefits, down 1,000 from the prior week.
Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected initial claims to fall to a seasonally-adjusted 425,000 in the week ended June 25.
Initial claims from two weeks ago were unrevised at 429,000, while the average of new claims over the past four weeks was essentially unchanged at 426,750. The monthly average is considered a more accurate measure of employment trends.
The number of people who already get unemployment checks dropped by 12,000 to a seasonally-adjusted 3.7 million in the week ended June 18. Continuing claims are reported with a one-week lag.
A total of 7.51 million people received some kind of state or federal benefit in the week of June 11, down 30,701. Total claims are reported with a two-week lag.
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