WASHINGTON: The number of Americans initially applying for unemployment aid fell last week, suggesting the job market was improving.

In the week ending August 22, the advance figure of seasonally adjusted initial claims for jobless benefits decreased to 271,000, down 6,000 from the revised level of the previous week, the US Labor Department said on Thursday.

There were no special factors impacting last week's initial claims, Xinhua cited the department as saying.

The U.S. economy added 215,000 jobs in July, while the unemployment rate was 5.3 percent. The Labor Department will release August job data on September 4. That's an important gauge that the Federal Reserve policy makers will refer to before they decide whether to start interest hike in September or not.
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