U.S. initial jobless claims fall to 275,000

The number of Americans initially applying for unemployment aid fell last week, a signal of an improving job market.

In the week ending Sept. 5, the advance figure of seasonally adjusted initial claims for jobless benefits decreased to 275,000, 6,000 less than the revised level of the previous week, the U.S. Labor Department said Thursday.

Meanwhile, the four-week moving average, which helps smooth out week-to-week volatility, edged up by 500 to 275,750 last week.

The advance figure of seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending Aug. 29 increased 1,000 from the previous week to 2,260,000.

The U.S. total nonfarm payroll employment added 173,000 in August, while the unemployment rate went down to 5.1 percent, the Labor Department said earlier this month. Enditem