Weekly Jobless Claims Drop Below Pre-Pandemic Levels in Sign of Continued Labor Market Tightness

Weekly Jobless Claims Drop Below Pre-Pandemic Levels in Sign of Continued Labor Market Tightness
A woman walks by a "Now Hiring" sign outside a store in Arlington, Va., on Aug. 16, 2021. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
|Updated:

The number of weekly jobless filings—a proxy for layoffs—dropped by 8,000 from the prior week to below pre-pandemic levels, delivering a fresh sign of continued tightening in the U.S. jobs market.

First-time filings for unemployment insurance fell to 198,000 for the week ending Dec. 25, the Labor Department said in a report (pdf). The four-week moving average of initial claims, which smooths out seasonal fluctuations and is often seen by analysts as a better indicator of broader labor market trends, fell to 199,250, the lowest level in 52 years.
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
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