Thursday, June 4, 2009

There are modest signs of improvement in the job market.

The Labor Department says the number of people getting unemployment insurance fell slightly for the first time in 20 weeks. Also, the tally of new jobless claims dipped.

While the report provides a glimmer of good news for job seekers, both drops were small and the figures remain significantly above the levels associated with a healthy economy.

The tally of first-time claims for jobless benefits declined by 4,000 to a seasonally adjusted 621,000. The total jobless benefit rolls fell by 15,000 to 6.7 million, the first drop since early January.