Washington — New claims for US unemployment benefits fell to their lowest level in nearly 45 years last week, a fresh sign of the increasingly tight American labour market, according to weekly data released Thursday. The figures, though volatile, follow a Federal Reserve survey showing businesses nationwide face mounting difficulties filling job openings as the supply of available workers dwindles amid record low unemployment. For the week ended January 13, new applications for jobless benefits fell 41,000 to 222,000, the lowest since February 1973, the labour department reported. Analysts had been expecting a decrease of only 10,000. The less volatile four-week moving average fell by 6,250 to 244,500. The data were collected during the survey week for the closely watched monthly jobs report, suggesting January could see continued strong job creation. Jobless claims have now held below 300,000 for nearly three years, the longest streak since 1972. But analysts say the current low tr...
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