US initial jobless claims fall by 30,000

By Tuba Sahin

ISTANBUL (AA) – The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims last week fell by 30,000 to 260,000, the US Labor Department said on Thursday.

This was in line with analysts' expectation for the week ending Jan. 22. The previous week's figure was revised up by 4,000 to 290,000.

The unemployment rate in the world's largest economy fell to 3.9% in December 2021 from 4.2% in November, according to the Labor Department.

The US economy, however, only added 199,000 jobs in December last year, lower than market estimates.