U.S. applications for unemployment benefits slipped by 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 224,000 in the week ended Aug. 9, according to Labor Department data released Thursday. Economists had expected roughly 225,000–228,000 claims. Continuing claims, a proxy for the total number of people receiving unemployment assistance, declined 15,000 to 1.953 million in the prior week. The four-week moving average of initial filings edged up to 221,750. The latest figures point to persistently low layoffs even as broader hiring momentum cools. Claims have held within the 200,000-to-250,000 range that historically signals a stable labor market, yet the elevated level of continuing claims suggests job seekers are taking longer to find new positions. The report arrived alongside producer-price data that showed core PPI rising 0.9% in July—more than four times the consensus forecast—and 3.7% from a year earlier. The combination of sticky inflation readings and a labor market that is loosening only gradually complicates expectations for a widely anticipated Federal Reserve rate cut at its September policy meeting.