The number of people applying for unemployment benefits rose by 2,000 to 205,000 in the week that ended December 16.
This is still a very low figure, indicating that the labor market remains robust. Economists had forecast initial jobless claims would climb to 215,000.
The number of people collecting unemployment benefits after an initial week was close to unchanged at 1.87 million. Continuing claims have risen from the 1.3 million or so low hit last year and currently are around where they were before the pandemic.
Claims fell in 39 states and territories and rose in 14. The highest rates of people collecting unemployment benefits are in New Jersey, Alaska, and California.
