Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as layoffs in the U.S. remain low despite uncertainty about how tariffs will impact the economy. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims for the week ending June 28 fell by 4,000 to 233,000, less than the 241,000 that analysts forecast. The four-week average of claims, which evens out some of the weekly volatility, fell by 3,750 to 241,500. Applications for unemployment aid are considered a proxy for layoffs. The total number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits the week of June 21 held steady at 1.97 million.
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