Cautiously optimistic.
WASHINGTON - The number of newly laid-off workers filing first-time claims for jobless benefits fell to the lowest level since early January, as layoffs ease a bit amid a fledgling economic recovery.
The fourth drop in new claims in five weeks is a sign the labor market is slowly healing. But employers are reluctant to hire new workers and the unemployment rate is expected to keep climbing well into next year.
(snip)
That's better than the 540,000 that Wall Street economists expected, according to a survey by Thomson Reuters.
The four-week average, which smooths fluctuations, fell to 539,750, the lowest since Jan. 17.
.jpg)