Initial jobless claims fell by 6,000 last week, to 386,000, the Labor Department said Thursday.
The figure was higher than economists’ forecasts of 385,000, Bloomberg reported.
The four-week moving average, a less volatile measure, fell to 386,750 claims.
The number of people receiving continuous jobless benefits fell by 15,000, to 3.3 million, in the previous week ended June 16.