New applications for U.S. unemployment aid rose last week, but the number of Americans receiving benefits fell to more than a 45-year low, pointing to tightening labor market conditions.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 215,000 for the week ended Oct. 20, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Data for the prior week was unrevised. Claims fell to 202,000 during the week ended Sept. 15, which was the lowest level since November 1969.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims rising to 214,000 in the latest week. The Labor Department said claims for South and North Carolina continued to be affected by Hurricane Florence. Claims for Florida and Georgia were impacted by Hurricane Michael.
The four-week moving average of initial claims, considered a better measure of labor market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, was unchanged at 211,750 last week.
The labor market is viewed as being near or at full employment, with the unemployment rate close to a 49-year low of 3.7 percent. There are a record 7.14 million open jobs in the economy, suggesting a shortage of skilled workers.
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