Weekly Jobless Claims Dip to New Pandemic-Era Low

Hiring signs posted outside a gas station in Cranberry Township, Butler County, Pa., on May 5, 2021. Keith Srakocic/AP Photo

The number of American workers filing for unemployment benefits fell last week to a new pandemic-era low, signaling continued labor market improvement.

First-time filings for unemployment insurance—a proxy for layoffs—came in at 269,000 for the week ending Oct. 30, the Labor Department said in a statement (pdf). The consensus forecast was for 277,000 claims.