The number of Americans seeking initial jobless compensation unexpectedly fell 6,000 last week to 310,000, its lowest level in more than two months, the government said today.
First-time claims for state unemployment insurance, an early reading on the resilience of the job market, fell for the second straight week, slipping to 310,000 in the week ended June 25 from a revised 316,000 in the previous week, the Labor Department said.
A department analyst said there were no special factors behind the decrease.
The drop in the weekly data defied Wall Street expectations for a rise to 325,000 from the original reading of 314,000 in the week ended June 18th.
The fall pushed the number of new claims to their lowest since 299,000 in the week ended April 16th - and well below the 347,000 reported for the same period a year ago.
The closely watched four-week moving average, regarded by economists as a truer reflection of the labour market than the more volatile weekly figure, also fell for the second consecutive week, dropping to 323,500 from 333,750 in the previous week.
The number of people who remained on the benefit rolls after drawing an initial week of aid, rose 4,000 to 2.6 million in the week ended June 18th, the latest week for which data are available