The number of Americans filing for <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/category/jobs" target="_blank">unemployment benefits</a> last week fell by the most since 2021 after fraudulent claims in Massachusets boosted the data in previous weeks.

<a href="https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20230309" target="_blank">Figures released </a><a href="https://dol.gov/ui/data.pdf" target="_blank">Thursday </a>by the Labor Department show initial claims for the week ended May 13 decreased by 22,000 to 242,000, well above the 2019 pre-pandemic average of 218,000 claims.

Continuing claims, filed by Americans who are consecutively receiving unemployment benefits, dropped to 1.79 million for the week ended May 6, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week.&nbsp;

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. &nbsp;

Applications for jobless benefits fell last week by the most since 2021 after unemployment fraud in Massachusetts distorted the data in previous weeks.{ai:summary}Unemployment filings in the US saw a significant drop last week, due in part to fraudulent claims in Massachusetts boosting previous data. The Labor Department reported that initial claims fell by 22,000 to 242,000, while continuing claims dropped to 1.79 million. #economy

Jobless claims fall sharply after Massachusetts fraud inflated data

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