WASHINGTON: New claims for US unemployment insurance benefits fell last week, returning to a downward trend as the jobs market slowly improves, according to a Labor Department report Thursday.

Initial jobless claims fell by 36,000 to 280,000 in the week ending September 13, the department said.

Claims jumped well above trend in the prior week, and the department upwardly revised the number by 1,000 to 316,000.

New jobless claims, a sign of the pace of layoffs, have been heading lower as the economy posts modest growth.

The four-week moving average of claims, which helps to smooth week-over-week volatility, fell by 4,750 to 299,500. A year ago, the number was 322,250.

The US unemployment rate slipped a tick to 6.1 percent in August, but job growth disappointed. The economy added only 142,000 jobs, breaking a six-month streak of gains above 200,000.