US jobless claims hit three-month high

by time news

The spread of “omicron” in the United States provoked a new wave of unemployment in the country. In the week ended January 15, 286,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits, according to the Labor Department. This is the highest figure in the last three months.

However, as analysts note, most likely, such an increase in the number of applications is temporary. “Even with small margins of error in the numbers, they seem to reflect the record surge in COVID-19 cases associated with the omicron,” Navy Federal Credit Union economist Robert Frick was quoted as saying by Reuters. “Fortunately, the spread of the omicron is reaching its peak, and if past trends continue, then in the next two to three weeks, the number of applications should decrease rapidly.”

Overall, U.S. unemployment remains low, with 2.1 million people receiving unemployment benefits as of January 1. A year earlier, there were 16.95 million.

Kirill Sarkhanyants

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