US applications for unemployment benefits fall to lowest level in 7 months

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week fell to the lowest level in seven months with labor market seemingly resistent to the higher interest rates put in to place, in part to cool hiring.

U.S. applications for jobless claims fell by 13,000 to 216,000 for the week ending Sept. 2, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

The four-week moving average of claims, which smooths out some of the week-to-week volatility, fell by 8,500 to 229,250.

Jobless claim applications are seen as representative of the number of layoffs in a given week.