WASHINGTON, D.C. — New unemployment benefit applications declined last week, but the number of people continuing to receive assistance increased, offering two different signals about the labor market ahead of Friday’s monthly jobs report.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that initial state claims fell by 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 189,000 for the week ending October 31. The prior week was revised upward to 195,000.

The four-week average, which smooths weekly fluctuations, fell by 2,250 to 194,750. The seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate held at 1.1 percent for the week ending October 24.

Continuing claims increased by 23,000 to 1.718 million in that earlier reporting week. Initial claims measure new benefit applications; continuing claims track people still receiving covered benefits after their first week.

Neither figure is the national unemployment rate. People who do not qualify for benefits or have exhausted them are outside those counts, so the report cannot by itself show how quickly every unemployed worker is finding a job.