Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Washington 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 7,200 in the week ending January 11, down from 10,729 the week before, the Labor Department said.

The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits rose marginally last week, suggesting that solid job growth likely continued in January. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 6,