US Jobless Claims Remain At Historic Lows

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people filing for U.S. unemployment benefits fell last week, remaining at historic lows as layoffs are rare and most Americans enjoy job security. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims slipped to 203,000 last week from a revised 207,000 the week before. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week ups and downs, ticked up slightly to 205,500. Claims for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs, and economists watch them because they can provide early clues of where the job market is headed. For the past year, claims have mostly been at a historically low range of around 200,000 to 230,000 a week.