Jobless Claims Fall by 2,000 Last Week

A clerk unlocks a case of high-end jewelry and watches at a Costco Wholesale Corp. warehouse store south of downtown Seattle in this May 30, 2006 file photo. Retail sales growth stalled in June, 2006, leaving merchants wondering whether shoppers who were resilient for much of the year are now curbing their spending because of higher gas prices. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File) (Ted S. Warren - AP)

The decline of 2,000 in jobless claims last week was the first drop in three weeks. The four-week moving average for claims edged up slightly to 308,500, compared with 306,000 in the previous week. It still remained at a level analysts believe shows a healthy labor market.

The previous week, the number of claims for jobless benefits totaled 315,000. During that week, 30 states and territories had an increase in claims and 23 had decreases.

The state with the largest increase in claims was North Carolina, with a rise of 6,495. The increase was attributed to layoffs in a variety of industries including transportation, primary metals, construction, textiles and lumber.

There was an increase of 5,291 layoffs in New Jersey, a rise blamed on layoffs in transportation, warehousing, trade, service and public administration.

Connecticut, Massachusetts, Missouri and New York all reported increases in jobless claims of more than 1,000.

Six states had a decline in jobless claims of more than 1,000, led by Pennsylvania, which saw a drop of 3,070, which it attributed to fewer layoffs in transportation, wood products and service industries.

Wisconsin reported a drop of 2,412 in jobless claims applications, which it attributed to fewer layoffs in such industries as construction and transportation.

The state data lags behind the national jobless claims data by one week.