"This (claims data) would increase concerns over what we saw earlier this year was really a fluke"
- Beth Ann Bovino, an economist at Standard & Poor's Ratings Services
The number of Americans claiming for unemployment benefits fell to 388,000 in the week ended April 21 from 389,000 the week before, said the Department of Labor on Thursday.
"It's just so hard for companies to be confident and start hiring," said Yelena Shulyatyeva, a U.S. economist at BNP Paribas in New York.
"We believe that March is probably not the end of the modest readings on payrolls."
"This was a disappointing number and offers more evidence that the labor market continues to lose traction," said Joe Manimbo, an analyst at Western Union Business Solutions in Washington.
"This (claims data) would increase concerns over what we saw earlier this year was really a fluke," said Beth Ann Bovino, an economist at Standard & Poor's Ratings Services in New York.
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