Unemployment subsidy claims in the United States rose by 10,000 last week to 234,000, the highest figure in six months, the Labor Department reported today.
The data is higher than expected by analysts, who had predicted that applications for the week ending on November 24 would remain around 220,000.
Regarding the average of applicants for the subsidy during the last month, a more reliable indicator of the progress of the labor market in the US, rose by 4,750 to 223,250, according to the government report.
The requests for unemployment benefits have been 194 consecutive weeks below the figure of 300,000, a sign of the good health of the US labor market.
The total number of people receiving unemployment benefits continuously rose by 50,000, to 1.7 million, but remains close to the lowest level since the beginning of 1970.
The strength of the labor market continued during the first year and a half of President Donald Trump’s term and in October the unemployment rate stood at 3.7%. (EFEUSA) .-
