Applications for U.S. unemployment insurance were little changed last week, suggesting the labor market remains exceptionally tight.
Initial unemployment claims decreased by 3,000 to 229,000 in the week ended June 11, Labor Department data showed Thursday. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 217,000.
Continuing claims for state benefits were also little changed at 1.31 million in the week ended June 4, hovering near the lowest since 1969.
