The number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits dipped to the lowest in a month last week.

Unemployment insurance claims dropped to their lowest level in a month, showing signs of health in the U.S. labor market amid a broader slowdown in employment conditions. Initial claims fell by 1,000 to 219,

The number of Americans receiving continued unemployment benefits rose to 1.91 million for the week of Dec. 14, according to Labor Department data. That’s a week-to-week increase of 46,000 claims, and represents the highest number of Americans collecting recurring unemployment benefits since November 2021, according to the Associated Press.

Jobless claims arrived lower than forecasts for the week ending Dec. 21. Claims were 219,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 220,000, according to the Labor Department.

Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Wisconsin dropped last week compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday. New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 5,816 in the week ending Dec. 21, down from 5,871 the week before, the Labor Department said.

U.S. unemployment claims dropped to 219,000 last week, down 1,000 claims from 220,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis. Kentucky saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims jumping by 64.9%. West Virginia, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage drop in new claims, with claims dropping by 29.1%.

Here's a look at how weekly unemployment claims changed in Connecticut last week compared with the week prior.

The number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits dipped to the lowest in a month last week, consistent with a cooling but still healthy labor market that is likely to keep Federal Reserve officials from cutting interest rates any further in the near term.