The numbers: The number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits in early December rose slightly to 230,000, pointing to a slow but steady increase in layoffs as the U.S. economy weakens.Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal... The numbers: The number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits in early December rose slightly to 230,000, pointing to a slow but steady increase in layoffs as the U.S. economy weakens.
The number of people already collecting unemployment benefits, meanwhile, rose by 62,000 to 1.67 million. That’s the highest reading since February. New jobless claims before seasonal adjustments, for example, have registered 286,463, 199,323 and 249,069 in the past three weeks sandwiched around the Thanksgiving Day.Big picture: The strongest U.S labor market in decades has become a double-edged sword.
'People are no longer working 3 jobs. They are only working 2 jobs for now'