Filings for jobless benefits last week fell for the first time in four weeks, as employers continue to eschew layoffs amid a tight labor market.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that initial unemployment claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell 38,000 in the week ended Oct. 2 to a seasonally adjusted 326,000, from a revised 364,000 the prior week. That put initial claims close to its pandemic low of 312,000 in the week ended Sept. 4.
