<div id="readability-page-1"><div> By Jeffry Bartash Holiday exaggerates rise in unemployment filings Layoffs are low historically even though the labor market is in a hiring freeze of sorts. The number of people who applied for unemployment benefits after Thanksgiving jumped to a three-month high, but the increase was exaggerated by the holiday and there's little evidence of rapidly rising U.S. layoffs. Initial jobless claims rose by 44,000 in the seven days that ended Dec. 6 to 236,000, up from a more than three-year low of 192,000 in the prior week. The numbers are seasonally adjusted. Jobless claims tend to gyrate during the holiday season, between Thanksgiving and early in the new year. That's exactly what has happened during the past few weeks. Many businesses hire temporary help and then let the workers go. Some people who are laid off before a holiday also wait until after the holiday to apply for benefits. The four-week average of new claims gives a more accurate view of what economists call churn in the labor market. Monthly claims moved up slightly to 216,750 - a level that's still historically low - from 214,750. While most companies are no longer adding staff, they aren't cutting many jobs, either. Economists refer to this trend as a &#34;low-hire, low-fire&#34; labor market. Key details: The number of people already collecting unemployment benefits, known as continuing claims, fell by almost 100,000 to 1.84 million. These figures are two weeks old, however, and reflect the Thanksgiving week. Continuing claims are likely to return to previous levels in next week's report. Continuing claims have risen in the past few years to a postpandemic high, but they appear to have stabilized in the past few months. Big picture: Businesses are unlikely to hire lots more workers anytime soon. They are still coping with the higher costs of U.S. tariffs and are exploring ways to use artificial intelligence to reduce the need for labor. The Federal Reserve, for its part, is trying to prevent unemployment from rising any further. The central bank cut interest rates on Wednesday for the third meeting in a row to try to stabilize a shaky labor market. Looking ahead: &#34;Taking the past few weeks together, claims remain relatively low despite a recent uptick in layoff announcements,&#34; said Nancy Vanden Houten, lead U.S. economist at Oxford Economics. Market reaction: The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA and S&amp;P 500 SPX were set to open mixed in Thursday trading. -Jeffry Bartash This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones &amp; Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. <pre></pre> (END) Dow Jones Newswires 12-11-25 0928ETCopyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones &amp; Company, Inc.</div></div>

Jobless claims surged post-Thanksgiving, reaching a three-month high, but the rise is holiday-exaggerated. Despite a hiring freeze, layoffs remain historically low, indicating a "low-hire, low-fire" labor market. Continuing claims fell by 100,000 to 1.84 million, but are expected to stabilize. Businesses face high tariffs and explore AI to reduce labor needs. The Federal Reserve cut interest rates to stabilize the labor market. Despite recent layoff announcements, claims remain low, with mixed market reactions.

- The number of unemployment benefit applications rose to a three-month high after Thanksgiving, but this increase is largely attributed to seasonal factors rather than a significant rise in layoffs.  
- Initial jobless claims increased by 44,000 to 236,000, while the four-week average remains low at 216,750, indicating a stable labor market despite a hiring freeze.  
- Businesses are unlikely to increase hiring soon due to high costs and the exploration of automation, while the Federal Reserve aims to stabilize the labor market by cutting interest rates.

Jobless claims surge after Thanksgiving, but low layoffs still the norm in the labor market