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

DATE: FRIDAY, December 3, 1993                   TAG: 9312030120
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

JOBLESS CLAIMS TAKE SURPRISE FALL

The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims unexpectedly dived 17,000 last week, the government said Thursday in a report that shows a steadily improving job market.

The Labor Department said 321,000 people filed initial jobless claims for the week ended Nov. 27, the lowest level in two months. That was down from a revised 338,000 the previous week.

Analysts had expected a decline of about 9,000 because of the Thanksgiving Day holiday, which cut the number of days in which to file.

The four-week moving average of claims fell 4,250 to 338,750, a six-week low. Analysts prefer tracking that figure because it smooths out the often volatile changes in the weekly figures.

- Associated Press

by CNB