According to the US Labor Department, the number of newly redundant workers claiming unemployment benefit was unchanged last week, at 505 000, while the total number of claimants dropped by 39 000 to 5.61 million. The figure for new claimants is seen as an indicator of the rate at which people are being made unemployed and also of how ready companies are to recruit new employees.
Source: AP/forbes.com/19.11.09