Figures released Thursday morning showed the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell last week, pointing to sustained labour market strength and firming economic growth.
The Labor Department said initial claims for state unemployment benefits decreased 3,000 to a seasonally-adjusted 258,000 for the week ended Oct. 22.
The number marks 86 consecutive weeks that claims have been below the 300,000 threshold, which is normally associated with a strong job market. That is the longest stretch since 1970, during the Nixon Administration, when the labour market was much smaller.
Claims for the prior week were revised to show 1,000 more applications received than previously reported.
Economists had forecast first-time applications for jobless benefits falling to 255,000 in the latest week.
