The number of Americans applying for and receiving benefits after losing their jobs keeps going lower.

Initial jobless claims fell by 8,000 to 237,000 in the seven days stretching from June 4 to June 10, the government said Thursday.

The less-volatile four-week average of new claims rose by 1,000 to a still-low 243,000. In May the monthly average fell to a 44-year bottom.