WASHINGTON: The number of Americans who filed new claims for unexpected unemployment benefits rose in the first week of January amid a rampage of Covid-19 infection, but remained at a level that was consistent with strong labor market conditions.
The initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 23,000 to 230,000 which were seasonally adjusted for the week ended January 8, the Labor Department said on Thursday.
Economists surveyed by Reuters have estimated 200,000 applications for the past week.
Claims remain below their pre-pandemic level, the sign strengthens the condition of the labor market.
They have declined from a record high of 6.149 million in early April 2020.
The application for the benefits of unemployment remains very low despite a surge in the case of Coronavirus, driven by the Omicron variant, which has disrupted the activity of the airline to school.
Employers depend on their workers, with 10.6 million job openings at the end of November.
The government reported Friday that the unemployment rate fell to a 22-month low of 3.9% in December, an indication that the labor market was on or approached maximum work.
The workforce is around 2.2 million people smaller than before the pandemic.
The Beige Federal Reserve book report on Wednesday Anekdotal information on business activities, collected from national contacts on or before January 3, shows many of which allows part-time work or adjusting qualifications “to attract more applicants and maintain existing workers.” Shrinking the sagging labor market and soaring inflation is a leading leader to expect that the Fed will increase interest rates in March.
Consumer prices jumped 7% year-on-year in December, the biggest advantage since June 1982.