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The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose slightly last week yet remained at a low level consistent with solid job growth.
The Labor Department says weekly applications for jobless aid rose 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 267,000. The four-week average, a less volatile figure, declined to 271,750.
Applications are a proxy for layoffs and are at historically low levels that suggest companies are confident in the economy and determined to hold onto their staffs. The four-week average fell to a 15-year low last month.