WINNING: U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Hold Below 300,000 for Longest Streak on Record.

The current streak eclipsed the previous longest stretch that ended in April 1970. Taking into account the size of the labor force, claims today compared to the late 1960s and early 1970s are much lower. In March, about 14 initial jobless claims were filed for every 10,000 people in the labor force, Labor Department data show. This compares with 23 claims filed per 10,000 in spring of 1969.

This year, about twice as many people are in the labor force as in 1969.

That’s big. Although I wouldn’t mind seeing the official U-2 unemployment rate actually go up, if it meant that more people were finally re-entering the workforce after years of despair.