US initial jobless claims down by 13,000 last week

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ISTANBUL (AA) - The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims fell by 13,000 last week to 228,000, according to Labor Department data released Thursday.

The initial jobless claims were down from the previous week's unrevised level of 241,000.

The figure also came below the market forecast of 231,000.

The four-week moving average was 227,000 – up by 1,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 226,000.

In April, the US economy added 177,000 jobs, much higher than forecasts of 138,000.

The unemployment rate was expectedly to be at 4.2% in April, unchanged from March.