U.S. unemployment claims fall again

Filings for U.S. unemployment benefits fell for a third week in the past four, showing a resilient labor market.

National jobless claims declined by 10,000, to 265,000, in the week ended Dec. 24 from a six-month high in the prior period, a Labor Department report showed Thursday.

The data tend to fluctuate around the year-end holidays, while the trend reveals managers' reluctance to fire workers as demand remains steady and the pool of available labor dwindles. Filings have been below 300,000 for 95 straight weeks - the longest streak since 1970 and a level economists say is typical for a healthy labor market.

The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, fell to 263,000 from 263,750 the week before.

The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits climbed by 63,000, to 2.1 million, in the week ended Dec. 17, the highest since Sept. 10. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.5 percent.

These data are reported with a one-week lag.

The figures do not include people who no longer are eligible for benefits or who have stopped looking for work.