
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, August 6, 1993                   TAG: 9308060078
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

JOBLESS CLAIMS IMPROVE NICELY

The number of Americans filing first-time claims for jobless benefits fell 60,000 last week despite the increasing number of flood victims showing up at claims offices. The Labor Department said Thursday the number of new claims dropped to 336,000 from 396,000 in the previous week.

It was a larger-than-expected improvement, but economists noted it came after the previous week's numbers were skewed by a temporary retooling shutdown at General Motors Corp.

"The economy is creating jobs, but not . . . at a boom-like pace, and a lot of the ones being created are . . . in low-wage sectors such as services," said Bruce Steinberg, an economist at Merrill Lynch in New York.

The four-week moving average of claims continued to rise, to 353,000, the highest level since April 17. - Associated Press

by CNB