New applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, a possible sign of a slowly improving labor market and the impact of a new measurement method. Weekly initial claims for jobless benefits fell by 130,000 to a seasonally adjusted 881,000 in the week ended Aug. 29, the Labor Department said Thursday. The number of people collecting unemployment benefits through regular state programs, which cover most workers, decreased by 1.24 million to about 13.3 million for the week ended Aug. 22.

Source: Wall Street Journal September 03, 2020 09:33 UTC