US jobless benefit claims fell by 4,000
Source: Bloomberg | Editor: Sanny Cicilia
WASHINGTON. The number of unemployed people in the United States who applied for benefits for the week to January 3, has decreased.
Jobless claims fell 4,000 to 294,000 during the week, according to the US Department of Labor.
“If the US economy strengthens again over the next half year, the unemployment rate could fall to a new lower level,” said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics Inc in New York.
When calculated on a four-week average, the number of applicants for employee benefits for the period fell to 290,500 from 290,750.
Tomorrow, the US government will announce the number of additional workforce. The market estimates that the number of US workers will increase by 240,000 in December. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate is estimated to fall to 5.7%, the lowest since 2008.