US Weekly Unemployment Claims Reach 208,000, Below Expectations

Continued Claims Reach 1.914 Million,
Exceeding Expectations

Last week, the number of new unemployment benefit claims in the United States came in below market expectations.

A job posting is displayed at a retail store in Arlington Heights, Illinois, USA. Photo by AP Yonhap News

According to the U.S. Department of Labor on January 8 (local time), the number of new unemployment benefit claims for the week of December 28 to January 3 was 208,000. This figure is an increase of 8,000 from the previous week's 200,000, but it still fell short of the experts' forecast of 213,000.

Amid ongoing policy uncertainties, including tariffs, companies have been reducing both new hiring and layoffs. The latest numbers are largely in line with this overall trend in the labor market.

The number of continuing unemployment benefit claims, which counts those applying for benefits for more than two weeks, was recorded at 1,914,000 for the week of December 21 to 27. This is an increase of 56,000 from the previous week's 1,858,000, and it also exceeded the market expectation of 1,900,000.

Weekly unemployment benefit claims have shown increased volatility recently due to seasonal factors at the end of the year. The number of claims is considered a key indicator for gauging short-term labor market trends, especially amid concerns about a slowdown in employment.