The amount of Americans filing for unemployment claims decreased, for the first time, last week, to a three-month low, according to the Labor Department on Sept. 8.
The continued growth in the U.S. labor market is relief for some analysts after U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) contracted in the first half of 2022, after initial fears of a recession when second-quarter results appeared during the summer.
Initial jobless claims unexpectedly fell by 6,000, to 222,000, in the week ended Sept. 3, declining from the previous week’s revised figure of 228,000.
Economists interviewed by Reuters had expected jobless claims to rise, to 240,000, from the initially reported 232,000 for the previous week….