The number of Americans applying for unemployment insurance for the first time stayed unchanged at 194,000 in the most recent weekly report, coming in below the 198,000 forecast by economists. At the same time, continuing claims—the total of people already receiving benefits—fell to 1.701 million, a decrease from the previous week’s 1.728 million and lower than the 1.72 million expected.
The figures keep US jobless filings near their lowest levels since the 1960s, a trend some analysts suggest reflects a ‘low-hire, low-fire’ economy. This perspective posits that the apparent stability in the labor market is driven by companies slowing recruitment and using natural attrition to shrink workforces rather than initiating mass layoffs.
