The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to their lowest level in four months last week.

Jobless claims slid by 12,000, to 219,000, for the week of Sept. 14, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That's fewer than economist expectations for 230,000 new filings.

The four-week average of claims, which evens out some of weekly volatility, fell by 3,500 to 227,500.

The total number of Americans collecting jobless benefits fell by 14,000 to about 1.83 million for the week of Sept. 7. That's the fewest since early June.

Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered largely representative of layoffs.