Unemployment claims fall to lowest level in 43 years, despite hurricanes

By Joseph Lawler

Published October 12, 2017 12:31pm ET

Unemployment claims fall to lowest level in 43 years, despite hurricanes — Forecasters had expected jobless claims to drop to 252,000. Low jobless claims are a good sign. They indicate that layoffs are rare, and accordingly that job creation is strong. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) | Marcio Jose Sanchez

The total number of laid-off workers receiving unemployment benefits fell to 1.89 million at the end of September, the Department of Labor reported Thursday, the lowest such mark in nearly 44 years.

And new claims for unemployment benefits dropped 15,000 to 243,000 in the first full week of October, according to the agency, as the job market bounces back from hurricane damage even faster than forecasters expected.