Weekly Jobless Claims Rise, Continuing Applications Fall to Lowest Since Mid-April

10:18 AM EST, 12/11/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Weekly applications for unemployment insurance in the US rose more than expected, while continuing claims fell to the lowest level since mid-April, government data showed Thursday.

For the week ended Dec. 6, the seasonally adjusted number of initial claims climbed by 44,000 to 236,000, the Department of Labor said. The consensus was for a 220,000 print in a Bloomberg poll. The previous week's reading was revised up by 1,000 to 192,000.

"Initial claims for unemployment benefits rebounded sharply in the week ended Dec. 6 as seasonal volatility in the claims data persisted," Oxford Economics Lead US Economist Nancy Vanden Houten said in remarks emailed to MT Newswires. "Taking the past few weeks together, claims remain relatively low despite a recent uptick in layoff announcements."

The four-week moving average totaled 216,750, rising by 2,000 from the prior week's unrevised average. Unadjusted claims surged by 58% on a weekly basis to 313,140.

Seasonally adjusted continuing claims came in at 1.84 million for the week ended Nov. 29, below Wall Street's views for 1.94 million and marking the lowest level since the week ended April 12. Continuing claims dropped by 99,000 from the previous week's level, which was revised down by 2,000.

The four-week moving average for containing claims declined by 27,000 to 1.92 million, according to the DOL.

On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve reduced its benchmark lending rate by 25 basis points amid continued concerns about the labor market.

"Job gains have slowed this year, and the unemployment rate has edged up through September," according to a statement by the central bank's Federal Open Market Committee.

Last week, data released by global outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas showed job cuts in the US surpassed 1.1 million in the year through November, reaching their highest year-to-date total since 2020. Payroll processing firm ADP (ADP) data showed employment in the US private sector surprisingly fell last month.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics won't publish October employment data that was delayed due to a US federal government shutdown, which ended last month. The November jobs report is scheduled for release next week.

MT Newswires does not provide investment advice. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.