U.S. Jobless Claims Fall to 187,000, Lowest Level Since 1969

New applications for unemployment benefits in the U.S. fell last week to a fresh half-century low as employers held on to their workers in the midst of a labor shortage.

Initial jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, decreased by 28,000 to a seasonally adjusted 187,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday. That was slightly below a level last seen in December, and the lowest level for initial claims in over 52 years, since September 1969. The four-week average, which smooths out volatility in the numbers, decreased by 11,500 to 211,750.

Continuing...