Weekly unemployment insurance claims fell to a two-month low ahead of Friday’s hotly anticipated jobs report, according to data released Thursday. Claims numbered 227,000 for the week ending Aug. 31,

The number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits declined last week as layoffs remained low, which could help to allay fears that the labor market was deteriorating. The weekly jobless claims report from the Labor Department on Thursday,

The number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits slipped last week, but re-employment opportunities for laid-off workers are becoming more scarce, a sign that the unemployment rate probably remained elevated in August.