The U.S. Labor Department’s latest report revealed on Thursday that jobless claims remain on a steady decline from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and were unchanged from the prior week.

Adjusted jobless claims for the week ending Dec. 18 amounted to 205,000. The previous week’s numbers were revised down from 206,000. There were 854,497 jobless claims one year ago.

The four-week moving average was 206,250, an increase of 2,750 from the week before. Unadjusted, the number of jobless claims for the week ending Dec. 18 was 254,006, a decrease of 11,686 from the week before. The expected decrease was 11,745.

Weekly jobless claims have become a closely watched metric of labor market health and remained elevated throughout 2020, but dropped substantially this year as Covid-19 vaccines allowed businesses to reopen
Weekly jobless claims have become a closely watched metric of labor market health and remained elevated throughout 2020, but dropped substantially this year as Covid-19 vaccines allowed businesses to reopen AFP / Olivier DOULIERY

During the week ending Dec. 4, jobless claims reached a seasonally adjusted low not seen since 1969.

Recent numbers close to pre-pandemic levels are a sign that the economy is recovering from the initial blow it was dealt by the COVID-19 pandemic.

RELATED STORIES