What’s Really Going on With Jobs?

Initial Jobless Claims declined by 2,000 in the latest week, as 190,000 people filed for unemployment benefits for the first time. Continuing Claims, which measure people who continue to receive benefits after their initial claim is filed, fell 5,000 to 1.655 million.

What’s the bottom line? Employers are clearly trying to keep the workers they currently have, as evidenced by the relatively low amount of Initial Jobless Claims we have been seeing each week. However, Continuing Claims data suggests it’s also harder for people who are let go to find new employment. While this number can be volatile from week to week, the overall trend has been higher, as Continuing Claims have risen by more than 300,000 since the low reached last September. This aligns with the decline in job postings that have been reported by sites like Indeed and ZipRecruiter.