By Sarah Chaney and Eric Morath 
 

WASHINGTON-The number of Americans applying for first-time unemployment benefits fell last week, a sign of a firm labor market.

Initial jobless claims, a measure of how many workers were laid off across the U.S., decreased by 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 216,000 in the week ended June 15, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected 220,000 new claims.

Estimates of claims are volatile from week to week and often revised. The four-week moving average, which shows the trend over the past month, rose slightly to 218,750 last week.

The report also showed so-called continuing claims--those filed by workers unemployed for longer than a week--decreased by 37,000 to 1,662,000 in the week ended June 8. That figure is reported with a one-week lag.

Claims remain exceptionally low by historical standards, a sign most employers are hesitant to lay off workers.

The labor market appears healthy overall. Job openings continue to exceed the number of unemployed, and the jobless rate is hovering at a 50-year low. Still, hiring slowed in May, in line with expectations for a broader economic slowdown this spring.

Write to Sarah Chaney at sarah.chaney@wsj.com and Eric Morath at eric.morath@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 20, 2019 08:45 ET (12:45 GMT)

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