US applications for unemployment benefits hold steady, but continuing claims rise to 3-year high

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits held steady last week, though continuing claims rose to the highest level in three years
FILE - A help wanted sign is displayed at a restaurant in Chicago, Ill., Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

FILE - A help wanted sign is displayed at a restaurant in Chicago, Ill., Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
Nation & World
By MATT OTT – Associated Press
13 hours ago
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits held steady last week, though continuing claims rose to the highest level in three years.

Jobless claim applications ticked down by 1,000 to 219,000 for the week of Dec. 21, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s fewer than the 223,000 analysts forecast.

Continuing claims, the total number of Americans collecting jobless benefits, climbed by 46,000 to 1.91 million for the week of Dec. 14. That's more than analysts projected and the most since the week of Nov. 13, 2021.

The four-week average of weekly claims, which quiets some of the week-to-week volatility, inched up by 1,000 to 226,500.

Weekly applications for jobless benefits are considered representative of U.S. layoffs.

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