US Jobless Claims Fall Sharply

2025-12-24 13:37 By Andre Joaquim 1 min. read

Initial jobless claims in the US fell by 10,000 from the previous week to 214,000 on the period ending December 20th, around the commonly-volatile holiday season for new claims, and firmly below expectations of 223,000.

It was the lowest reading since January of this year, with the exception of the three-year low of 192,000 on the also seasonally-volatile Thanksgiving week.

Conversely, outstanding jobless claims rose for a second week to 1.92 million in the earlier week, contributing to the ongoing view that the US labor market has steadied in a backdrop of low hiring and low firing trend.

Meanwhile, initial unemployment claims filed by federal employees, which have recently been under scrutiny due to the federal government shutdown, fell by 1,091 from the previous week to 805, the lowest in three weeks.



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