WASHINGTON - The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell for the seventh straight week to a pandemic low of 268,000.U.S.
jobless claims dipped by 1,000 last week from the week before, the Labor Department reported Thursday.The applications for unemployment aid are a proxy for layoffs, and their steady decline this year — after topping 900,000 one week in early January — reflects the labor market's strong recovery from last year's brief but intense coronavirus recession.