New York — The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell last week, unwinding half of the prior period’s jump and suggesting the labour market was tightening despite a recent slowdown in job growth. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits declined 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 245,000 for the week ended June 3, the Labour Department said on Thursday. The report followed data on Tuesday showing job openings at a record high in April. "There is no sign of a pickup in the rate of layoffs. Against this backdrop of high job openings, firms appear to be holding on to their workers," said John Ryding, chief economist at RDQ Economics in New York. Claims surged by 20,000 in the prior week, with California, Tennessee, Kansas, and Missouri accounting for the bulk of the increase. Some of that increase was related to school summer breaks in which bus drivers and cafeteria workers were left temporarily unemployed. Claims have now been below 300,000, a threshold associat...
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