Economists are optimistic that tightening labor market conditions will boost wage growth in the second half of this year
The year 'is getting off to a good start,' said Michael Feroli, chief U.S. economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims rising to 231,000 in the latest week
Unemployment rate now sits at 4.4% after US employers hired more workers than expected in April
The decline in the jobless rate reflected both a drop in the size of the labour force and a decrease in the number of unemployed