More Americans file for unemployment benefits last week, but layoffs remain historically low

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose modestly last week but remains at healthy levels.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that applications for jobless claims rose by 6,000 to 225,000 for the week of Sept. 28. It was slightly more than the 221,000 analysts were expecting.

The four-week average of claims, which evens out some of weekly volatility, fell by 750 to 224,250.

Applications for jobless benefits are widely considered representative of U.S. layoffs in a given week.

Thursday’s report said that the total number of Americans collecting jobless benefits was down by 1,000 to about 1.83 million for the week of Sept. 21.