WASHINGTON • The number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits was little changed last week, signaling the labor market is stabilizing. Applications for jobless insurance payments increased by 4,000 to 352,000 in the week ended April 13, in line with the median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg. There was nothing unusual in last [...]

More than 400,000 Californians will have their weekly federal unemployment benefits reduced by about 17.7 percent starting April 28 as a result of the federal budget cuts known as sequestration. The Employment Development Department announced Wednesday how it will implement the cuts. The cuts will affect only federal benefits, which start after someone has exhausted [...]

The Colorado House of Representatives gave initial approval Friday to a controversial bill that expands unemployment benefits for locked-out workers. The bill passed on a voice vote with support from majority Democrats. Grocery stores and some business-advocacy groups opposed the legislation, saying it could damage the state’s unemployment-insurance trust fund and increase employer premiums. Labor [...]