Some 198,000 people filed for jobless claims last week, a near-50-year low

The ranks of U.S. workers filing for jobless aid remains near a half-century low amid a tight labor market that's spurring employers to keep hold of their workers. 

About 198,000 people filed for first-time unemployment benefits in the week ended December 25, the Labor Department said Thursday. That compares with about 205,000 jobless claims in the previous week. 

The Labor Department's four-week moving average for newly unemployed people was 199,250, matching a low last seen in October 1969, the agency reported.