US jobless claims rise to 222,000

WASHINGTON: The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week even though the US job market has been rebounding from last year's coronavirus recession.

Jobless claims climbed by 28,000 to 222,000 from the previous week's pandemic low 194,000, the Labor Department reported.

The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week ups and downs, fell below 239,000, a pandemic low.

Since topping 900,000 in early January, the weekly applications - a proxy for layoffs - have been falling more or less steadily.

Overall, 2 million Americans were receiving traditional jobless benefits the week that ended Nov. 20, down by 107,000 from the week before.