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In the week ending May 8, the number of workers who first applied for unemployment benefits fell by 34,000 to a minimum of 473,000 since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The previous week’s figure was revised up from the 498,000 initially reported to 507,000.
The trend of the US labor market measured by the indicator was confirmed to be better than expected by analysts, who had expected a figure almost unchanged at 500,000 units.
In the preceding week ending May 1, the number of American workers continuing to receive benefits fell by 45,000 to 3.66 million.
The moving average of the last four weeks also declined, indicating a drop in requests for subsidies to 534,000, compared to 562,250 units the previous week.