CNN article, March 17, 2005
http://money.cnn.com The number of people filling out applications for first-time jobless benefits is a good indicator of future unemployment rates. This statistic is released weekly by the U.S. Department of Labor. Economists look at both the weekly data and less volatile monthly numbers to predict employment trends.
In the week ending March 12, initial applications for jobless benefits fell by 10,000 from the previous week. This number was expected by labor experts on Wall Street. The number of jobless claims has remained under 350,000 for the last nine weeks, which experts say indicates a more favorable job market.
