- Initial US jobless claims fell by 6,000 to 206,000 in the week ended Aug 15
- Claims remain near historic lows, indicating few layoffs across the labor market
- Continuing claims rose to 1.80 million, reflecting ongoing benefit recipients
Applications for US unemployment benefits edged lower last week, staying near historically low levels and suggesting few layoffs across the labor market.
Initial claims decreased by 6,000 to 206,000 in the week ended Aug. 15, according to Labor Department data released Thursday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 210,000.
Continuing claims, a proxy for the number of people receiving benefits, rose to 1.80 million in the previous week.
The latest reading comes after weekly initial claims dipped to 189,000 in the week ended July 18, the lowest since 1969. The pickup since then still leaves applications at a historically subdued level.
US employers have been slow to fire but also slow to hire workers this year, leaving the labor market relatively steady for people with a job but challenging for those trying to land one.
The four-week moving average of new applications, a metric that helps smooth out volatility, increased to 204,000 last week.
Unadjusted for seasonal fluctuations, initial claims declined. That reflected fewer applications in states including Michigan, South Carolina and California.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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