States reported that 212,000 workers filed for new unemployment benefits during the week ending Feb. 10, a decrease of 8,000 from the previous week’s revised level.
While layoff announcements have ticked up since January, the labor market overall is characterized by historically low layoffs and low unemployment. The unemployment rate, currently 3.7 percent, has remained under 4 percent over the past two years.
About 1.86 million workers continue to claim unemployment benefits.