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The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week below 400,000 for the first time in four months, a sign the U.S. job market may be improving slowly after a recent slump.
Applications for unemployment aid dropped by 7,000, to a seasonally adjusted 395,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. Applications had been above 400,000 for the previous 17 weeks.
The four-week average, a less-volatile figure, fell to 405,000, its sixth straight decline and the lowest level since mid-April. That suggests layoffs have eased.
In Utah, initial jobless claims bounced back up, to 1,805, after declining the previous week to 1,534, the lowest number since Sept. 6, 2008, the Utah Department of Workforce Services said Thursday.
Last week's state total still was the fourth-lowest of 2011. Through the first 32 weeks of the month, Utah has averaged 2,250 new unemployment applications weekly. Even with last week's increase, the latest four-week average fell by almost 100, to 1,757.
Nationally, applications fell in February to 375,000, a level that reflects healthy job growth. They soared to an eight-month high of 478,000 in late April and have declined slowly since.
There were fewer layoffs last week in the manufacturing, transportation and service industries, according to the report. Only nine states reported an increase in applications.
Paul Dales, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics, said the decline shows the job market is at least not getting worse. "Of course, it tells us nothing about hiring, which the market turmoil of recent weeks will not have helped," said Dales, noting the 16 percent decline in the Dow Jones industrial average since July 21.
The U.S. economy added 117,000 net jobs in July, the government said last week. That was an improvement from the previous two months. But it's far below the average of 215,000 jobs per month that companies created from February through April.
Many employers pulled back on hiring after signs emerged that the economy had weakened from last year. High gasoline prices and scant wage gains left consumers with less money to spend on discretionary purchases, such as appliances, furniture and electronics. Supply chain disruptions caused by the Japan crisis also dampened U.S. factory production.
Tribune reporter Mike Gorrell contributed to this story. —
New jobless claims
U.S. • 395,00, down 7,000
Utah • 1,805, up 271