Continuing claims, which are reported with a 1-week lag, rose 25,000 in the December 13 week to 2.403 million. Here the 4-week average, up 20,000 to 2.418 million, is higher than the month-ago comparison, by about 50,000. The unemployment rate for insured workers is unchanged at a recovery low of 1.8 percent.
Claims levels are low and, despite the uptick in continuing claims, point to healthy conditions in the labor market. There are no special factors in today's report.
Recent History Of This Indicator:
Initial jobless claims, after rising above 300,000 briefly in late November, have been coming back down near their recovery lows. Initial claims fell for the 3rd straight week, down 6,000 to 289,000 in the December 13 week. The 4-week average, at 298,750, is down fractionally for the 1st decrease since way back at the beginning of November. Continuing claims, where data lag by a week, are also mixed. Continuing claims in the December 6 week, at 2.373 million, were down a very substantial 147,000 but merely reverse the prior week's 148,000 surge. The 4-week average, at 2.397 million, was up 10,000 in the latest data with the 4-week average trending roughly 30,000 above the month-ago comparison.
Initial jobless claims, after rising above 300,000 briefly in late November, have been coming back down near their recovery lows. Initial claims fell for the 3rd straight week, down 6,000 to 289,000 in the December 13 week. The 4-week average, at 298,750, is down fractionally for the 1st decrease since way back at the beginning of November. Continuing claims, where data lag by a week, are also mixed. Continuing claims in the December 6 week, at 2.373 million, were down a very substantial 147,000 but merely reverse the prior week's 148,000 surge. The 4-week average, at 2.397 million, was up 10,000 in the latest data with the 4-week average trending roughly 30,000 above the month-ago comparison.
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