WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (Reuters) – Unemployment claims fell unexpectedly in the United States last week, according to data released Thursday by the Labor Department, which does not yet show an employment impact of the surge in COVID-19 contaminations.
Registrations reached 198,000 during the week to December 25, compared to 206,000 (revised) the previous week.
Economists on average expected an increase to 208,000 registrations after an initial estimate of 205,000 for the previous week.
The four-week moving average stands at 199,250 compared to 206,500 (revised) the week before.
The number of people receiving regular benefits fell to 1.716 million during the week to December 18 (last week for which these figures are available) from 1.856 million (revised) the previous week. (Dan Burns report, French version Laetitia Volga, edited by Sophie Louet)