The Labor Department said Thursday seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims for the week ending April 12 were 215,000, a decline of 9,000 from the previous week.

The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, suggesting labor market conditions remained stable in April, though uncertainty around tariffs is making businesses hesitant to boost hiring.

Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Virginia dropped last week compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday. New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 2,820 in the week ending April 12, down from 3,714 the week before, the Labor Department said.