Jobless claims dipped last week to one of the lowest levels in decades, highlighting the historically low level of layoffs that has prevailed this year.
\n\nInitial claims for unemployment benefits slipped by 1,000 to 197,000 in the week ended September 19, data from the Labor Department showed Thursday.
\n\nInitial claims, which are a proxy for layoffs, have rarely fallen this low or stayed this low for this long. Between 1970 and 2018, there were no weeks with claims this low. In recent years, claims have only fallen this low eight times: twice in April 2019, twice in September 2022, once in January 2024, and three times this year (including the most recent report).
\n\nFor the four-week average of initial claims, which smooths out the week-to-week volatility, fell to 202,250, the lowest in six weeks. This average has only been so low 93 times in data going back to 1967, with 83 of those readings occurring in 1967–1969. Between 1970 and the end of 2025, the average was this low just seven times, none of which occurred between 1970 and 2019. This year has added three more, all within recent weeks.
\n\nEven less common than the weekly figures is how long…
Original source: https://www.breitbart.com/economy/
