In the week ending December 27, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 199,000, a decrease of 16,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 214,000 to 215,000. The 4-week moving average was 218,750, an increase of 1,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 216,750 to 217,000. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.2 percent for the week ending December 20, unchanged from the previous week's revised rate. The previous week's rate was revised down by 0.1 ... (full story)

Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as layoffs remain low despite a weakening labor market. U.S. applications for jobless claims for the week ending Dec. 27 fell by 16,000 to 199,000 from the previous week’s 215,000, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. Analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet forecast 208,000 new applications. The weekly report was released a day early due to the New Year’s Day holiday. Applications for unemployment aid are viewed as a proxy for layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market. The four-week average of claims, which evens ... (full story)