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The
Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims ticked up
to 200,000 last week from a revised 191,000 the week before,
coming in higher than the 195,000 economists had forecast. The
four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week
volatility, was unchanged at 195,250.
Applications for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs, and
economists watch them closely because they can provide signs of
where the job market is headed.
Claims have remained at historically low levels in the year to
date, never topping 230,000 in a single week. They’ve come in at
or below 200,000 for nine straight weeks.
So far this year, employers — companies, government agencies and
nonprofits — have been adding an average of 86,000 jobs a month,
including a surprisingly strong 165,000 last month. That is
modest by historic standards but an improvement on a lackluster
2025 when monthly job creation averaged 9,700 as high interest
rates and President Donald Trump’s unpredictable trade policies
discouraged hiring.
Consumer spending has remained resilient and a surge in
investment in artificial intelligence has lifted economic
growth.
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