Fewer laid off seek jobless benefits

The number of laidoff workers filing for unemployment benefits fell 9,000 to a seasonally adjusted 346,000 last week, a sign the job market is improving modestly.

The four-week average, a less volatile figure, declined 2,750 to 345,750, the U. S. Labor Department said Thursday. That’s near the five-year low of 338,000 reached last month. Employers added 175,000 jobs in May, about matching the average monthly gain for the past year.