双语新闻：美国申请失业救济者减少

Fewer Americans Apply for Jobless Benefits

美国申请失业救济者减少

The number of Americans submitting first-time claims for unemployment insurance is down, falling for the first time in four weeks.

美国首次申请失业保险的人数下降，这是四个星期来的第一次。

The Labor Department said Thursday that new claims fell by 31,000 last week, to 473,000, a sign the U.S. job market may not be deteriorating as quickly as some investors and economists had feared.

美国劳工部星期四说，新申请失业救济的人数上星期减少了三万一千人，减少到四十七万三千人。这显示美国就业市场可能不像某些投资者和经济学家担心的那样糟。

The report also found that the number of Americans continuing to receive traditional unemployment benefits fell slightly last week, to under 4.5 million. However, the number of Americans who are no longer eligible for traditional benefits and are now getting emergency or extended benefits rose last week to more than 5.8 million.

劳工部的报告还发现，继续领取传统失业救济的人数上星期也稍有减少，下降到不到四百五十万。但是，上星期，不再有资格领取传统失业救济，转而领取紧急救济或延长救济金的人数增加到超过五百八十万。

Earlier this month, the Labor Department reported the U.S. unemployment rate was 9.5 percent, causing some to worry the country's economic recovery was sputtering.

本月早些时候，劳工部说，美国的失业率为9.5%。这使一些人担忧美国的经济恢复在减缓。