The number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits last week fell by 9,000 to 267,000, keeping initial claims near the lowest level in decades.
Economists polled by the MarketWatch had predicted initial jobless claims would total a seasonally adjusted 268,000 in the seven days stretching from March 27 to April 2.
The average of new claims over the past four weeks, a less volatile measure, rose by 3,500 to 266,750, the Labor Department said Thursday.
Initial claims have been below the 300,000 threshold for 57 weeks, a clear sign the labor market remains sound despite slower U.S. economic growth since last fall. The low level of claims has coincided with a surge in job creation over the past few years.
Some 2.19 million people collected weekly unemployment benefits, known as continuing claims, in the seven days ended March 26. That was 19,000 higher compared to the prior week.
