U.S. Jobless Claims Tick Down

U.S. applications for unemployment benefits edged lower last week, reflecting a persistently tight labor market.

Initial jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, decreased by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 190,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday. Weekly claims have remained below the 2019 prepandemic average of about 220,000 since the start of the year.