First-time unemployment benefit claims drop modestly

First-time unemployment benefits claims fell by 3,000 to 336,000 in the week that ended Saturday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said. First-time claims fell from an unrevised 339,000, the department said Thursday. The four-week rolling average of first-time jobless claims, concurrently, rose by 1,750 to 336,750. The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending Feb. 8 were in Georgia, where claims rose by 7,229, North Carolina with a gain of 1,347 and South Carolina, which added 1,292. The largest decreases were in New York, with 2,721 fewer claims, Ohio, where claims declined by 2,348 and New Jersey, where claims fell by 2,035.