Jobless claims fall sharply after Massachusetts fraud inflated data

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits last week fell by the most since 2021 after fraudulent claims in Massachusetts boosted the data in previous weeks.

Figures released Thursday by the Labor Department show initial claims for the week ended May 13 decreased by 22,000 to 242,000, well above the 2019 pre-pandemic average of 218,000 claims.

Continuing claims, filed by Americans who are consecutively receiving unemployment benefits, dropped to 1.79 million for the week ended May 6, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week. 

Some economists have warned that it's difficult to...