- Initial US jobless claims fell slightly by 2,000 to 215,000 for the week ended July 4
- Economists had forecasted 217,000 initial unemployment claims in a Bloomberg survey
- Continuing claims rose slightly to 1.81 million in the prior week, per Labor Department data
Applications for US unemployment benefits were little changed last week, signaling layoffs remain limited.
Initial claims decreased by 2,000 to 215,000 in the week ended July 4, a period that included the Independence Day holiday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 217,000 applications.
Continuing claims, a proxy for the number of people receiving benefits, edged up to 1.81 million in the previous week, according to Labor Department Data released Thursday.
The low level of claims suggests employers remain reticent to lay off workers. That said, the June jobs report showed a slowdown in hiring in the month, taking some of the shine off recent momentum in the labor market. It also showed many Americans left the labor force, a shift that could also be consistent with fewer filings for unemployment.
Before adjusting for seasonal factors, initial claims rose by nearly 10,000, almost entirely driven by an increase in filings in California.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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