WASHINGTON—Layoffs across the U.S. are hovering near the lowest level in half a century.
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits—known as initial jobless claims—stood at 211,000 in the week ended May 5, the Labor Department said Thursday. That figure was unchanged from the prior week and just a touch above the 209,000 claims filed in mid-April, when the figure hit the lowest level since 1969.
Economists...