U.S. briefing
U.S. jobless claims edge down to 206,000
The Labor Department said weekly unemployment benefit filings fell to 206,000 from a revised 207,000, while the four-week average also declined to 206,000.
Unemployment benefit filings fell to 206,000 last week from a revised 207,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week average, which reduces the effect of weekly fluctuations, also edged down to 206,000.
Economists follow benefit claims as an indicator of layoffs and a possible signal of the labor market's direction. Weekly filings have largely remained between 200,000 and 230,000 over the past year, a historically low range.
Employers have added an average of 80,000 jobs a month so far this year, including 162,000 in August. That pace represents an improvement over 2025, when average monthly job creation was below 10,000.
Hiring remains below earlier rates: monthly job gains averaged 166,000 in 2023 and 2024. The average was 491,000 during the hiring boom in 2021 and 2022 that followed COVID-19 lockdowns.