AFP, Washington :
New claims for US unemployment insurance edged downwards in mid-March, continuing a record stretch of low-levels, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
With an unemployment rate below five percent since May, the tightening labor market has seen employers forgo layoffs out of fear they may not be able to replace the workers they let go.
Though they can see large week-to-week swings, jobless claims can be used to gauge the prevalence of layoffs and the health of labor markets.
New claims for US unemployment insurance edged downwards in mid-March, continuing a record stretch of low-levels, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
With an unemployment rate below five percent since May, the tightening labor market has seen employers forgo layoffs out of fear they may not be able to replace the workers they let go.
Though they can see large week-to-week swings, jobless claims can be used to gauge the prevalence of layoffs and the health of labor markets.
