FILE — In this Thursday, March 3, 2016, file photo, a job candidate’s resume sits on a table as he interviews for a job with a restaurant during a recruiting event at the Georgia Department of Labor office, in Atlanta. The Labor Department reports Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016, on the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits a week earlier. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
Requests for unemployment aid rise but are still low in the U.S.
WASHINGTON — More Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, but the number of remained close to historic lows in a positive sign for the job market. Applications for jobless aid rose 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 269,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, increased 3,750 to 260,250. The number of Americans collecting benefits has fallen 5.4 percent over the past year to 2.14 million.Economists estimate that Friday’s employment report will show that 175,000 jobs were added in July, with the unemployment rate dipping to 4.8 percent from 4.9 percent.
