Weekly unemployed claims

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Job seekers attend the CUNY Big Apple Job and Internship at the Jacob Javits New York Convention Center.

The number of people seeking jobless benefits dropped last week to the lowest level since November 1969, a sign of the Labor market remains strong despite the partial government shutdown, now in its fifth week.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Labor said that weekly applications for unemployment measures fell 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 199,000. The average of four weeks, a less volatile figure, fell 5,500 to 215,000.

The number of furloughed federal employees asking for unemployment jumped to 25,419, more than double last week. These figures are tracked separately from other unemployment requirements.

Weekly applications for unemployed help is a power of attorney for dismissals. The data suggests that employers are sure enough that the economy will hold onto its workers. The work department was funded before the closure and still publishes its weekly report.