Fewer Americans filed applications for unemployment benefits last week, a sign of steady progress in the labor market. Jobless claims fell by 2,000 to a one-month low of 312,000 in the week ended June 21, the Labor Department reported today in Washington. The median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for 310,000 initial claims. Dismissals are hovering just above their pre-recession lows and hiring has picked up as companies grow confident the economy will snap back from the worst contraction in five years. Employment that’s on pace for its best year since 1999 will need to spark faster wage growth ... (full story)