Close to 800,000 in U.S. file new unemployment claims

Dec. 31 (UPI) — Close to 800,000 more U.S. workers have filed new unemployment claims, the Labor Department said Thursday in its weekly report.

The department said about 787,000 Americans filed new claims for the week ending last Saturday, a decrease of 19,000 from the previous week.

The figure was lower than most experts predicted (828,000).

In its report, the department also revised up last week’s claims by 3,000 and said the unemployment rate for the most recent week was 3.6%.

There was a significant rise in the four-week average, officials noted, indicating that the jobs market continues to be seriously affected by the rise in coronavirus cases.

The department will release its December jobs report next week.