Unemployment claims hold steady as economy regains footing

The number of Americans filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits edged up last week to 373,000, the Department of Labor said on Thursday. That figure is little changed from last week's revised claims total of 371,000, a sign the labor market remains steady as layoffs slow.

Economists had expected first-time jobless claims for the week ended July 3 to fall to about 350,000. While the number of people filing for jobless aid was higher than expected, the overall trend has shown a marked decline as the economy regains its footing and employers rehire workers.  With vaccinations against COVID-19 continuing across the U.S., Americans are resuming their pre-pandemic behavior — traveling, shopping and eating out — and sparking demand for workers across multiple industries.