Applications for US unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level in three weeks, suggesting demand for workers is still healthy.
Initial claims decreased by 10,000 to 230,000 in the week ended Aug. 19, according to Labor Department data out Thursday. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 240,000 applications.
On an unadjusted basis, claims declined last week to around 198,000, the lowest since October. However, the drop was offset somewhat by the biggest jump in applications in Hawaii since the onset of the pandemic after devastating wildfires.
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