Fewer Americans apply for jobless aid last week

BY MATT OTT
AP Business Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as the U.S. job market remains strong in the face of rising inflation and interest rates. Applications for jobless aid fell by 3,000 to 229,000 for the week ending June 11, the Labor Department reported Thursday. First-time applications generally represent the number of layoffs. Jobless claims application this week and last week, though still relatively low, were the highest since the first weeks of the year. The total number of Americans collecting jobless benefits for the week ending June 4 was 1,312,000. That figure has hovered near 50-year lows for months.