The number of people filing new jobless claims across the country dropped by 11,000 to 346,000, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. California saw the largest increase in new claims.
The four-week moving average was 352,500, or an increase of 4,500 from the previous week.
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits was 4.65 million, or an increase of 68,169 from the previous week. In comparison, there were 5.97 million people claiming benefits at the same time last year. This doesn’t include the long-term jobless, who are no longer eligible for benefits and may have given up on their job searches.
04/19/2024