US weekly jobless claims fall more than expected amid labor market stability

WASHINGTON, Feb 19 (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, consistent with a stabilizing labor market.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 23,000 to a ?seasonally adjusted 206,0000 for the week ended February ?14, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 225,000 claims for ?the latest week. Last week's drop marked a signficant decline in claims since ?they jumped to 232,000 at the end of ?January.

Minutes of the ?Federal Reserve's January 27-28 policy meeting published on Wednesday showed the "vast majority of participants judged that labor ?market conditions had been showing some signs ?of stabilization." Still, concerns over downside risks to the labor market remained.

The minutes also noted some policymakers "pointed to the possibility that ?a further fall in labor ?demand could ?push the unemployment rate sharply higher in a low-hiring environment or that the concentration of job gains in a few less cyclically sensitive sectors ?was potentially signaling heightened vulnerability in the overall labor market."

The claims ?data covered the week during which the government surveyed employers for the nonfarm payrolls portion of February's employment report. Job growth accelerated in January, though nearly all the employment gains came from the healthcare and social assistance sector.

Policymakers ?and ?economists say immigration policies were constraining job growth. Lingering uncertainty ?from import tariffs remained a drag on hiring while artificial intelligence was also ?adding another layer of caution, economists said. The number of people receiving unemployment benefits after an initial week of aid, a proxy for hiring, increased 17,000 to a seasonally 1.869 million during the week ended February 7, the claims report showed.

The so-called continuing claims suggested that laid-off workers were experiencing difficulties finding new positions.

The median duration ?of unemployment is near four-year highs. The lack of hiring has significantly impacted recent college graduates, who because of no or limited work history, cannot file ?for unemployment benefits and are ?not captured in the claims data. (Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; ?Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)