AlQa'dah 22, 1432, Oct 20, 2011, SPA -- New claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, the U.S. Labor Department reported on Thursday. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 403,000, the Labor Department said, from an upwardly revised 409,000 the prior week. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims falling to 400,000 from the previously reported 404,000. The claims data came on the same week of the government's closely watched nonfarm payrolls count for October. First-time applications for jobless aid fell 25,000 between the September and October survey periods, suggesting an increase in nonfarm employment after payrolls increased 103,000 last month.
