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WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, remaining in the historically healthy range of the past couple years.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims for the week ending July 5 fell by 5,000 to 227,000, fewer than the 238,000 that analysts forecast. Applications for unemployment aid are viewed as representative of layoffs.
The four-week average of claims, which evens out some of the weekly volatility, fell by 5,750 to 235,500.
The total number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits for the week of June 28 rose by 10,000 to 1.97 million. That’s the most since November of 2021.