Unemployment insurance claims fall in most recent weekly report, but most
experts expect those numbers to rise.
The U.S. Labor Department announced on today that jobless claims feel to
365,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis. The numbers over the past few weeks have
been volatile, reaching as high as 406,000 during the week of March 29.
While on the surface, these current numbers look good -- fewer people are
filing claims for unemployment benefits -- most experts expect these numbers
to keep rising over the summer as more companies, hurt by the struggling
economy, continue the recent trend of layoffs and downsizings.
The four-week average of initial jobless claims rose by 5,000, to 372,250.
Furthermore, these numbers reinforce the view of some economists who expect that
the U.S. employers will cut another 50,000 jobs this month. (We won't have these
statistics until early June when the Labor Department releases the figures.)
