US labor market stable, disruptions feared from federal government layoffs
The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits increased moderately last week, suggesting that the labor market remained on solid ground in February. There were no signs yet in the report from the Labor Department on Thursday of the mass layoffs of federal government workers and deep spending cuts being pursued by Republican President Donald Trump's administration. Economists, who expect a spillover to the private sector, said it was too early for the negative effects to be felt in the broader economy.