This is the third week in a row that Americans have applied for unemployment benefits less.
As the omecron variant of the corona virus spread, the four-week claims average, which equates to weekly fluctuations, was relatively flat after growing for five consecutive weeks.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims decreased from 239,000 to 223,000 last week.
Labor Department statistics showed 467,000 new jobs added by employers in January, a surprising increase.
More people began looking for work this month, but not all of them found jobs right away.
The unemployment rate rose to 4% from 3.9% as more people tried to find work.
