Filings for U.S. unemployment benefits rose only modestly last week and held near prepandemic levels, suggesting the labor market remains historically tight.
Initial jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, increased by 9,000 to a seasonally adjusted 225,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday. Average weekly claims this year through mid-December were slightly lower than the 2019 average of 218,000, when the labor market also was historically strong.
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