The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, but more out of work people are struggling to find new opportunities amid weak hiring.

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer greeted returning employees via email but didn’t welcome staff in person or through a virtual meeting, as previous DOL leaders have done following government shutdowns, the worker said. In her email to DOL staff Thursday morning, the secretary said she was “eager” for them to get back to work.

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the week ending Nov. 15 fell by 8,000 from the previous week to 220,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Data for the weeks covering the government shutdown also remained in the same range of recent years, falling between 200,000 and 250,000.

The U.S. Labor Department's statistical agency should prioritize the production of November employment and inflation reports when the government reopens to ensure Federal Reserve officials have up-to-date information at their December policy meeting,

The Trump administration announced on Tuesday an aggressive plan to continue dismantling the Education Department, ending the agency’s broad role in supporting academics at elementary and high schools and in expanding access to college.

Tribal leaders and education advocates say the Education Department failed to meet a legal requirement by not consulting with tribes before announcing the transfer of dozens of Native American education programs to other federal agencies.

The number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits stood at a two-month high in mid-October at the time when the Labor Department would have been conducting its survey of U.S. households.

US job growth topped expectations in September but the unemployment rate continued its march higher, underscoring the lingering fragility of the labor market.