BREAKING NEWS: Will Hiring Ease? Weekly Jobless Claims Hold at 209K

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Businesses May Find It Easier to Hire: US Weekly Jobless Claims Hold Steady at 209K

States reported that 209,000 workers filed for new unemployment benefits during the week ending March 9, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level. The weekly claims are consistent with an overall low level of job-cutting, despite recent high-profile layoff announcements. The unemployment rate has remained under 4 percent over the past two years, the longest such streak since the 1960s.

Initial jobless claims have been low all year, said Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter. "With layoffs unusually low across most of the economy, few workers are being pushed onto jobless rolls. Nonetheless, continuing claims have been ticking upwards in recent months because new hiring has been somewhat sluggish."

"As a result, labor availability is improving and many businesses are starting to find it easier to hire, even as the labor market remains historically tight," Pollak added. "Both measures offer employers key insight into how hiring conditions are evolving in an ever-changing labor market."

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