Jobless claims in US fall by 4,000

WASHINGTON — The U.S. job market remains healthy as fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, despite the Federal Reserve’s rapid interest rate hikes this year intended to bring down inflation and tighten the labor market.

Applications for jobless claims for the week ending Nov. 12 fell by 4,000 to 222,000 from 226,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

The total number of Americans collecting unemployment aid rose by 13,000 to 1.51 million for the week ending Nov. 5 — a seven-month high, but still not a concerning level.

Steady hiring, solid pay growth and low unemployment have been good for workers, but have contributed to rising prices.