US jobless benefit applications jump to 236,000, but continuing claims are lowest since April

By MATT OTT Associated Press Business Writer WASHINGTON AP The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits jumped last week but the total number of those collecting benefits fell to the lowest level in eight months Related Articles Open AI Microsoft face lawsuit over ChatGPT s alleged role in Connecticut murder-suicide Tariffs have cost U S households each since Trump returned to the White House Democrats say Trump s handling of the business activity is at its lowest point in AP-NORC polling Mercedes delivers cockpit-like-fun with AMG SL S AI slop ad backfires for McDonald s U S jobless claim applications for the week ending Dec climbed by to from the previous week s the Labor Department stated Thursday That s more than analysts forecast of The total number of Americans filing for jobless benefits for the previous week ending Nov fell by to million the administration mentioned That s the lowest level for continuing declares since mid-April Applications for unemployment aid are viewed as a proxy for layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the strength of the job sphere The four-week average of declares which evens out specific of the week-to-week volatility rose by to