Jobless filings fall to 5-year low in US
Source: Agencies |
January 18, 2013, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits tumbled to a five-year low last week, a hopeful sign for the sluggish labor market.
Other data yesterday showed a surge in residential construction last month, suggesting the housing market is now positioned to support the US economy's recovery this year.
Initial claims for state jobless benefits fell 37,000 to a seasonally adjusted 335,000, the lowest level since January 2008, the Labor Department said. It was the largest weekly drop since February 2010.
"This is a good sign for the January nonfarm payrolls," said David Sloan, an economist at 4CAST in New York.
While last week's decline ended four straight weeks of increases, it may not signal a material shift in labor market conditions as claims tend to be very volatile around this time of the year.
This is because of large swings in the model used by the department to iron out seasonal fluctuations.
The four-week moving average for new claims, a better measure of labor market trends, fell 6,750 to 359,250, suggesting some improvement in underlying labor market conditions.
The claims data covered the survey week for January's nonfarm payrolls. Job growth has been gradual, with employers adding 155,000 new positions in December. The jobless rate held steady at 7.8 percent last month.
A second report from the Commerce Department showed housing starts jumped 12.1 percent last month to a 954,000-unit annual rate, the highest level since June 2008.
Groundbreaking was boosted by a 20.3 percent surge in multi-family unit construction, with single-family starts rising 8.1 percent. Permits for future home building rose 0.3 percent to a 903,000-unit rate, the highest since July 2008.
The housing market has regained some footing after a historic collapse that helped push the economy into its worst recession since the Great Depression.
Other data yesterday showed a surge in residential construction last month, suggesting the housing market is now positioned to support the US economy's recovery this year.
Initial claims for state jobless benefits fell 37,000 to a seasonally adjusted 335,000, the lowest level since January 2008, the Labor Department said. It was the largest weekly drop since February 2010.
"This is a good sign for the January nonfarm payrolls," said David Sloan, an economist at 4CAST in New York.
While last week's decline ended four straight weeks of increases, it may not signal a material shift in labor market conditions as claims tend to be very volatile around this time of the year.
This is because of large swings in the model used by the department to iron out seasonal fluctuations.
The four-week moving average for new claims, a better measure of labor market trends, fell 6,750 to 359,250, suggesting some improvement in underlying labor market conditions.
The claims data covered the survey week for January's nonfarm payrolls. Job growth has been gradual, with employers adding 155,000 new positions in December. The jobless rate held steady at 7.8 percent last month.
A second report from the Commerce Department showed housing starts jumped 12.1 percent last month to a 954,000-unit annual rate, the highest level since June 2008.
Groundbreaking was boosted by a 20.3 percent surge in multi-family unit construction, with single-family starts rising 8.1 percent. Permits for future home building rose 0.3 percent to a 903,000-unit rate, the highest since July 2008.
The housing market has regained some footing after a historic collapse that helped push the economy into its worst recession since the Great Depression.
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