U.S. applications for jobless benefits fell again last week as the labor market continues to hold up despite fears of a tariff-induced recession, the Associated Press reports.
Jobless claim applications fell by 9,000 to 215,000 for the week ending April 12, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s well below the 225,000 new applications analysts forecast. The four-week average of applications, which can soften some of the week-to-week swings, fell by 2,500 to 220,750.
The total number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits for the week of April 5 jumped by 41,000 to 1.89 million.
Weekly applications for jobless benefits are considered a proxy for layoffs, and have mostly stayed between 200,000 and 250,000 for the past few years. Despite showing some signs of weakening during the past year, the labor market remains healthy with plenty of job openings and relatively few layoffs.
