Unemployment claims drop to 189,000, the fewest since mid-July

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as layoffs remain scarce and most workers enjoy job security.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that 189,000 people sought jobless aid last week, the fewest since mid-July and down from 195,000 the week before. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week ups and downs, dipped to 194,750.

Applications for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs, and economists watch them closely because they can provide signs of where the job market is headed.

Claims have remained at historically low levels in the year to date, never topping 230,000 in a single week. They’ve come in at or below 200,000 for eight straight weeks.

So far this year, employers — companies, government agencies and nonprofits — have been adding an average of 68,000 jobs a month, including a disappointing 29,000 last month. That is modest by historic standards but an improvement on a lackluster 2025 when monthly job creation averaged 9,700 as high interest rates and President Donald Trump’s unpredictable trade policies discouraged hiring.

Consumer spending has remained resilient and a surge in investment in artificial intelligence has lifted economic growth.

The Labor Department will release hiring numbers for October on Friday. They are expected to show that the economy added 65,000 jobs this month, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet. Unemployment is expected to remain at a low 4.2%.

A now hiring sign is displayed at a business in the Dallas suburb of Richardson, Texas, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

NEW YORK (AP) — Six people died in a fire that barreled through a two-story home in New York early Thursday and seven others were injured, including three firefighters, the city's fire department said.

Heavy fire was reported in the row frame building at 1:40 a.m. in Brooklyn. More than 200 first responders reported to the fire in the borough's Sunset Park neighborhood. It was brought under control in about 3 hours.

Four people died at the scene, the fire department said in a statement. Two people with critical injuries were taken to a hospital, where they were later pronounced dead. Four people suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Three firefighters suffered minor injuries as well, the department said.

No names or ages of the victims have been released.

Fire marshals were investigating. A lithium-ion battery was found at the scene, but it was unknown if it was related to the cause of the fire, the department said.

In this photo provided by FDNY, firefighters work to put out a deadly house fire in the Sunset Park section of the Brooklyn borough of New York early Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (David Burns/@FD4D/FDNY via AP)