The latest batch of weekly jobless-claims data brought more evidence Wednesday that the labor market is stuck in an uncertain neutral: layoffs subdued, but flagging hiring, too.

Last week 216,000 Americans filed new unemployment claims, the Labor Department said Wednesday, down from 222,000 a week earlier. Over the past year, the weekly claims number has mostly hovered between about 210,000 and 250,000, suggesting there has been no big uptick in job cuts.