Fewer Americans apply for unemployment benefits last week

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans applied for jobless aid last week and the number of Americans collecting unemployment remain at historically low levels.

Applications for unemployment benefits fell by 11,000 to 200,000 for the week ending May 28, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

First-time applications generally track the number of layoffs.

The four-week average for claims, which evens out some of the weekly volatility, dipped by 500 from the previous week to 206,500.

The total number of Americans collecting jobless benefits for the week ending May 21 fell from the previous week, to 1,309,000, the fewest since Dec. 27, 1969.