News & Feeds January 13, 2022

U.S. jobless claims rise by 23,000 to 230,000

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week to the highest level since mid-November. U.S. jobless claims climbed by 23,000 last week to 230,000, still low by historic standards. The four-week moving average, which smooths out week-to-week blips, was up nearly 6,300 to almost 211,00. The weekly applications, a proxy for layoffs, have now risen four of the last five weeks, possibly a sign that the omicron variant is having an impact on the job market, which has bounced strongly from last year’s coronavirus recession. Altogether, 1.6 million people were collecting jobless aid the week that