The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell last week to seasonally adjusted 324,000, the lowest since January 2008. The drop points to fewer layoffs and possibly more hiring. The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly applications fell 18,000, the ...

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WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday stood by its aggressive efforts to stimulate the economy and reduce unemployment. And it sent its most explicit signal to date that tax increases and spending cuts that kicked in this year are ...

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WASHINGTON — After nearly stalling in late 2012, the American economy quickened its pace early this year despite deep government cutbacks. The strongest consumer spending in two years fueled a 2.5 percent annual growth rate in the January-March quarter. The ...

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WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to a seasonally adjusted 339,000, the second-fewest in more than five years. The drop suggests that layoffs have declined and that job growth may pick up from last ...

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WASHINGTON — Unemployment rates fell in more than half the U.S. states in March even though job growth slowed. Rates fell largely because many of those out of work stopped looking for jobs and were no longer counted as unemployed. ...

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Maryland’s unemployment rate remained steady at 6.6. percent after 4,700 jobs were added in March, according to data released on Friday by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also revised February’s initial ...

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WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits increased just 4,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 352,000. The slight gain kept applications at a level consistent with solid hiring and suggests March’s sluggish hiring may be temporary. The ...

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The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell sharply last week to a seasonally adjusted 346,000, suggesting March's weak month of hiring may have been a temporary slowdown.

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WASHINGTON — U.S. employers advertised the most job openings in nearly five years in February, but they boosted hiring at a much slower pace. The figures suggest that companies remain too cautious about the economy to quickly fill open jobs. ...

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March was not a good month for the national labor market. Thousands of people dropped out of the workforce, and employers hired at their slowest pace since June. The unemployment numbers, released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, were a disappointment to many who expected a continuation of this year’s steady growth.

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