Weekly initial jobless claims edged up by 6,000 to 222,000, though they remain at historically low levels. Meanwhile, continuing unemployment claims dropped by 37,000 to 1.841 million.
What’s the bottom line?
While new unemployment filings have stayed relatively low lately, continuing claims have consistently exceeded 1.8 million since last June. This suggests unemployed workers are taking longer to find new positions and companies are hiring more slowly, as businesses maintain a cautious “wait and see” approach amid economic uncertainty and tariffconcerns.