The job market remains stable. The number of initial jobless claims in the United States last week decreased after a sharp increase.

In the United States, the number of initial jobless claims decreased last week, reversing the previous week's sharp increase, indicating that the labor market conditions remained stable in December. Data released on Thursday showed that the seasonally adjusted number of initial jobless claims in the United States decreased by 13,000 people to 224,000 in the week ending December 13th, slightly lower than economists' forecast of 225,000. The number of continued jobless claims as of December 6th was 1.897 million, with the market expecting 1.93 million. The four-week average of initial jobless claims as of December 13th was 217,500 people. In recent weeks, there has been a significant fluctuation in the number of initial jobless claims in the United States, reflecting challenges in data adjustment around the Thanksgiving holiday. However, the overall situation in the labor market has not changed significantly, with employers reluctant to increase hiring but also not conducting large-scale layoffs. Economists suggest that the large-scale tariffs imposed by President Trump have had unexpected impacts on businesses, leading them to reduce hiring. A survey of 548 chief financial officers conducted jointly by the Federal Reserve Banks of Richmond and Atlanta, along with Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, showed that they still consider tariffs as a top concern. These CFOs come from companies ranging in size from one employee to over 1,000. The survey was released on Wednesday. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced on Tuesday that nonfarm payrolls increased by 64,000 in November. Despite the unemployment rate reaching 4.6% in November, the highest level since September 2021, due to a 43-day government shutdown, the Bureau of Labor Statistics was unable to publish unemployment rate data for October, leading to discrepancies in the data. This historically long government shutdown hindered the collection of household data, which is crucial for calculating the October unemployment rate. Federal Reserve policymakers lowered interest rates by 25 basis points last week to a range of 3.50% to 3.75%. However, they hinted at pausing further rate cuts while seeking clearer signals on the labor market and inflation trends. The weak hiring situation has led some unemployed individuals to remain out of work for an extended period. Unemployment claims reports show that in the week ending December 6th, the number of continued jobless claims (a key indicator of hiring conditions) increased by 67,000 people, reaching 1.897 million after seasonal adjustment.