The number of laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits fell last week by the sharpest amount in nearly two months, indicating a healthy U.S. labor market despite the sluggish economy. The Labor Department reported Thursday that applications for jobless benefits totaled 321,000 last week, 20,000 fewer than the previous week. That was the biggest decline in claims in nine weeks and was more than double what economists had expected. Analysts said part of the improvement reflected trouble adjusting the weekly claims data around Easter, which does not fall in the same week every year.
See "Jobless claims fall to 2-month low", Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, April 26, 2007