News brief

U.S. unemployment continues to fall. The Labor Department on Jan. 8 said applications for unemployment benefits fell to their lowest level in nearly a year last week, pointing to a still healthy labor market with historically low layoffs. Applications for jobless benefits fell to 201,000 for the week ending Jan. 4, down from the previous week’s 211,000. This week’s figure is the lowest since February of last year. On Jan. 8, the government also reported that United States job openings rose unexpectedly in November, showing companies are still looking for workers even as the labor market has loosened.

The job market needs workers. The newest ones are over age 75.