WASHINGTON — U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs in July, a modest increase and the fewest since March. At the same time, the unemployment rate fell to a 4½-year low of 7.4 percent, a hopeful sign. Unemployment declined from 7.6 percent ...

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WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell 19,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 326,000, the fewest since January 2008. The decline shows the job market continues to strengthen. The Labor Department said Thursday that the ...

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WASHINGTON — Companies have all but stopped laying off workers. They just aren’t hiring many. When the government issues the July employment report Friday, it will likely show another solid month of job growth. But the job gain can be ...

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WASHINGTON — Americans’ confidence in the economy fell only slightly in July but stayed close to a 5 ½-year high, a sign that consumers should continue to help drive growth in the coming months. The Conference Board, a New York-based ...

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WASHINGTON — Unemployment rates rose in nearly all large U.S. cities in June as college graduates and many of those still in school began searching for jobs. The Labor Department said Tuesday that unemployment rates rose in 347 large metro ...

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WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose by 7,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 343,000. The increase in the week ending July 20 follows a drop of 22,000 the previous week. But the broader trend ...

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WASHINGTON — Companies are increasingly confident the economy will grow at a modest pace over the next year and are hiring more, according to a survey of business economists. Nearly one-third of the economists surveyed by the National Association for ...

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Maryland continued to add jobs in June, but the state’s unemployment rate crept to 7 percent for the first time since last July.

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Maryland’s economy continued to add jobs in June, but the state’s unemployment rate still crept up to 7 percent for the first time since last July.

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WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell 24,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 334,000, a sign that steady job gains should continue. The Labor Department said Thursday that the four-week average, which smooths out fluctuations, ...

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