U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Fall to 206,000, Below Expectations

The U.S. Department of Labor announced on the 20th (local time) that new jobless claims for last week (August 9–15) stood at 206,000, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week.

This figure is below the market expectation of 210,000.

Continuing jobless claims, which count people receiving benefits for two weeks or more, came to 1.799 million for the week of August 2–8, up 18,000 from the previous week.

New jobless claims dropped to the 180,000 range during the week of July 12–18, marking the lowest level since 1969.

Although claims have since risen again, they remain at historically low levels.

The U.S. labor market is continuing in a so-called "no hire, no fire" state, where companies are reluctant to lay off workers while also hesitant to actively hire new ones.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.