While economists continue to debate whether firings or a lack of hiring is keeping U.S. job growth at a relatively low level, for the week ending September 9 initial claims for unemployment fell for the second consecutive week.
Jobless claims totaled 308,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 313,000, the U.S. Labor Department reported on September 14. Economists generally were looking for an increase to about 315,000.
The department's four-week moving average of first-time claims also declined, falling by 1,500 to 314,250 claims.