Claims for unemployment benefits edged up to 263,000 in the last full week of August, the Department of Labor reported Thursday, barely up from an ultra-low 261,000 the week before.
Economists had expected jobless claims, which are adjusted for seasonal variation, to tick up to 265,000.
Instead, they didn’t stray far from one of the lowest levels of the past several decades.
Jobless claims have been running at an average of 263,000 the past month, one of the brightest signs of health for the economy.
Investors and government economists watch the claims numbers carefully because they provide an up-to-the-week gauge of the strength of the labor market and the economy. Fewer people applying for unemployment insurance benefits at state offices indicates that layoffs are relatively infrequent, and accordingly that job growth should be strong.
Private-sector economists expect that the monthly jobs report for August, to be released Friday morning, will show 175,000 new jobs created.
