The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, pointing to a still low level of layoffs that could ease fears over the labor market's health. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 4,

The number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits last week fell to the lowest level since mid-May.

The number of people filing for weekly unemployment benefits for the first time dipped to a seasonally adjusted 218,000, its lowest number since May as the country's workforce numbers appear to hold steady.

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to their lowest level in four months last week.

The weekly jobless claims report from the Labor Department on Thursday, the most timely data on the economy's health, also showed jobless rolls shrunk to levels last seen in early June.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that applications for jobless claims fell by 4,000 to 218,000 for the week of Sept. 21.

Initial claims for US unemployment benefits fell by 12,000 to 219,000 applications in the week ended Sept. 14. This came contrary to expectatio

Initial claims decreased by 12,000 to 219,000 in the week ended September 14, according to Labor Department data released Thursday (). That was below all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists.

There were 218,000 jobless claims last week, a 4,000 drop from the week before, the Labor Department said on Thursday.