Unemployment Applications Dropped To 7-Month Low Last Week

ByTy Roush,

Forbes Staff.

The number of Americans who filed for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week to a seven-month low, according to the Labor Department, as concerns persist about a struggling labor market.

Applications for jobless benefits in the U.S. totaled 216,000 last week, the Labor Department reported, a decline from the 220,000 reported for the previous week and below Wall Street’s estimates for claims to rise to 230,000, according to FactSet.

That’s the lowest number of applications since 219,000 were reported the week of April 3.