US jobless claims are at the lowest level since September 2022

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week to its lowest levels since late 2022, suggesting that job gains will remain strong in January.

According to Reuters, the US Department of Labor said on Thursday that applications submitted for the first time for unemployment benefits fell by 16,000 applications to a seasonally adjusted level of 187,000 applications in the week ending January 13, which is the lowest level since September 2022.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected the number of applications to reach 207,000 last week.