Jobless Claims Decline

The Labor Department says first-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits have hit their lowest mark of the year. 326 thousand people filed claims last week, 19 thousand fewer than the previous week. The four-week average of claims fell by 45-hundred to more than 341 thousand. The department says claims in Ohio fell by nearly 2 thousand last week due to fewer layoffs in manufacturing. Ohio is 12th among the states reporting declines for last week.