U.S. applications for jobless benefits rose modestly last week as businesses continue to retain workers despite fears of a possible economic downturn, the Associated Press reports.
Jobless claim applications inched up by 6,000 to 222,000 for the week ending April 19, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s just barely more than the 220,000 new applications analysts forecast.
Even though President Donald Trump has paused or pulled back on many of his tariff threats, concerns remain about a global economic slowdown that could upend what has been an historically resilient labor market. Like his pledge to institute tariffs, Trump’s promise to drastically downsize the federal government workforce occupied much of the early weeks of his presidency and is still in motion.
It’s not clear when the job cuts ordered by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will surface in the weekly layoffs data. However, the federal government staff reductions are already being felt, even outside of the Washington, D.C. area.
Federal agencies that have either announced layoffs or are planning cuts include the Department of Health and Human Services, IRS, Small Business Administration, Veterans Affairs and Department of Education.
Thursday’s report also showed that the four-week average of applications, which evens out some of the week-to-week volatility, ticked down by 750 to 220,250. The total number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits for the week of April 12 declined by 37,000 to 1.84 million.
