November saw highest unemployment since 2021, largely attributed to federal worker reductions under Trump.
Published On 31 Dec 2025
Over the past week, the number of United States residents applying for unemployment benefits has dropped to its lowest point in a month, according to new Labor Department statistics.
The weekly data released on Wednesday came at the end of a year marked by a weak labour market, a phenomenon analysts partly blame on hiring hesitancy caused by US President Donald Trump’s tariff policy.
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Experts also warn that last week’s data may also be distorted by year-end holidays like Christmas: With the shorter work week, there was less opportunity to file unemployment claims.
Wednesday’s numbers mark the final full week of unemployment data for 2025. Jobless claims for the week ending on December 27 fell by 16,000 to 199,000. That was an improvement from the previous week, when the Labor Department recorded 215,000 jobless claims.
Its report also showed that the four-week average of jobless claims, which evens out some of the week-to-week volatility, rose by 1,750 to 218,750.
The US unemployment rate reached a peak of 4.6 percent in November, the highest percentage since 2021, when the country was grappling with the ravages of the COV