Applications for US unemployment benefits fall

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week for the first time in a month, a sign that layoffs remain low and hiring is probably still healthy.

The Labor Department says that weekly applications dropped 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 307,000. The decline comes after applications spiked the previous week to a seven-month high.

Most of the volatility reflects widespread layoffs of temporary employees hired by retailers, restaurants and other companies for the winter holidays. The government seeks to adjust the data for those seasonal trends, but doesn’t always do so perfectly.

Applications have been near or below 300,000 since September, a historically low level that suggests companies are cutting few workers. Instead, strong economic growth in the spring and summer has encouraged employers to add more jobs.