Continuing claims were at the highest level since November 2021, a sign that workers are having trouble finding new positions after they are laid off.

Applications for US unemployment benefits declined for a fifth straight week to the lowest level since mid-April, showing a resilient job market.

Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Michigan dropped last week compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday. New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 10,735 in the week ending July 12, down from 15,637 the week before, the Labor Department said.