- Applications for US unemployment benefits fell by 1,000 to 213,000 last week
- Layoffs in the US remain contained according to Labor Department data
- The median forecast predicted 215,000 initial claims, slightly higher than actual
Applications for US unemployment benefits edged down last week, indicating layoffs remain contained.
Initial claims decreased by 1,000 to 213,000 in the week ended March 7, according to Labor Department data released Thursday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 215,000.
Continuing claims, a proxy for the number of people receiving benefits, also fell to 1.85 million in the previous week.
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