US initial jobless claims decrease by 3,000

ANKARA

The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims last week fell by 3,000 to 229,000, the US Labor Department announced on Thursday.

The market expectation for initial jobless claims was to come in at 215,000.

The previous week’s figure was revised up by 3,000 from 229,000 to 232,000.

The four-week moving average was 218,500, an increase of 2,750 from the previous week's revised average.

The US economy generated 390,000 jobs in May, while the unemployment rate remained unchanged from the previous month at 3.6%, according to the latest figures.