The Labor Department released its weekly unemployment report on Thursday. It showed that about 220,000 workers filed for unemployment benefits in the week ending on December 2nd. Here is the official Labor Department statement:
In the week ending December 2, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 220,000, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 218,000 to 219,000. The 4-week moving average was 220,750, an increase of 500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 220,000 to 220,250.