Uptick in Unemployment Claims: A Sign of Labor Market Slowdown?
In what may be a fresh indicator of a labor market losing momentum, unemployment claims have climbed to their highest levels in two months. According to the Department of Labor, 242,000 individuals filed for unemployment benefits for the week ending December 7, representing an increment of 17,000 filings from the prior week. Besides a spike in October attributed to hurricanes Helene and Milton, this was the most substantial number of claims since July.
The surge exceeded economists' consensus forecast of 220,000 claims as per a survey conducted by Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. Although not high by historical standards, a sustained trend in increasing claims could be one of several signals of a cooling job market. Data from IndexBox also shows a decrease in job opportunities and hiring rates, likely affected by employers tightening budgets amid rising business loan costs, a consequence of elevated interest rates set by the Federal Reserve.
However, experts warn about over-interpreting any single week's data, particularly in holiday periods known for volatility. "Claims are always volatile over the holidays, through mid-January, so it's even more important than usual to look at the trend rather than single week's numbers," noted Oliver Allen, senior U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.
1. INTRODUCTION
Making Data-Driven Decisions to Grow Your Business
- REPORT DESCRIPTION
- RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND THE AI PLATFORM
- DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
- GLOSSARY AND SPECIFIC TERMS
2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A Quick Overview of Market Performance
- KEY FINDINGS
- MARKET TRENDS This Chapter is Available Only for the Professional EditionPRO
3. MARKET OVERVIEW
Understanding the Current State of The Market and its Prospects
- MARKET SIZE: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
- CONSUMPTION BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
- MARKET FORECAST TO 2035
4. MOST PROMISING PRODUCTS FOR DIVERSIFICATION
Finding New Products to Diversify Your Business
- TOP PRODUCTS TO DIVERSIFY YOUR BUSINESS
- BEST-SELLING PRODUCTS
- MOST CONSUMED PRODUCTS
- MOST TRADED PRODUCTS
- MOST PROFITABLE PRODUCTS FOR EXPORT
5. MOST PROMISING SUPPLYING COUNTRIES
Choosing the Best Countries to Establish Your Sustainable Supply Chain
- TOP COUNTRIES TO SOURCE YOUR PRODUCT
- TOP PRODUCING COUNTRIES
- TOP EXPORTING COUNTRIES
- LOW-COST EXPORTING COUNTRIES
6. MOST PROMISING OVERSEAS MARKETS
Choosing the Best Countries to Boost Your Export
- TOP OVERSEAS MARKETS FOR EXPORTING YOUR PRODUCT
- TOP CONSUMING MARKETS
- UNSATURATED MARKETS
- TOP IMPORTING MARKETS
- MOST PROFITABLE MARKETS
7. PRODUCTION
The Latest Trends and Insights into The Industry
- PRODUCTION VOLUME AND VALUE: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
- PRODUCTION BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
8. IMPORTS
The Largest Import Supplying Countries
- IMPORTS: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
- IMPORTS BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
- IMPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
9. EXPORTS
The Largest Destinations for Exports
- EXPORTS: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
- EXPORTS BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
- EXPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
10. PROFILES OF MAJOR PRODUCERS
The Largest Producers on The Market and Their Profiles
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11. COUNTRY PROFILES
The Largest Markets And Their Profiles
This Chapter is Available Only for the Professional Edition PRO- United States
- China
- Japan
- Germany
- United Kingdom
- France
- Brazil
- Italy
- Russian Federation
- India
- Canada
- Australia
- Republic of Korea
- Spain
- Mexico
- Indonesia
- Netherlands
- Turkey
- Saudi Arabia
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- Nigeria
- Poland
- Belgium
- Argentina
- Norway
- Austria
- Thailand
- United Arab Emirates
- Colombia
- Denmark
- South Africa
- Malaysia
- Israel
- Singapore
- Egypt
- Philippines
- Finland
- Chile
- Ireland
- Pakistan
- Greece
- Portugal
- Kazakhstan
- Algeria
- Czech Republic
- Qatar
- Peru
- Romania
- Vietnam
LIST OF TABLES
- Key Findings In 2024
- Market Volume, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Market Value: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Per Capita Consumption, by Country, 2022–2024
- Production, In Physical Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Imports, In Physical Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Imports, In Value Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Import Prices, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Exports, In Physical Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Exports, In Value Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Export Prices, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
LIST OF FIGURES
- Market Volume, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Market Value: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Consumption, by Country, 2024
- Market Volume Forecast to 2035
- Market Value Forecast to 2035
- Market Size and Growth, By Product
- Average Per Capita Consumption, By Product
- Exports and Growth, By Product
- Export Prices and Growth, By Product
- Production Volume and Growth
- Exports and Growth
- Export Prices and Growth
- Market Size and Growth
- Per Capita Consumption
- Imports and Growth
- Import Prices
- Production, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Production, In Value Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Production, by Country, 2024
- Production, In Physical Terms, by Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Imports, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Imports, In Value Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Imports, In Physical Terms, By Country, 2024
- Imports, In Physical Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Imports, In Value Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Import Prices, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Exports, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Exports, In Value Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Exports, In Physical Terms, By Country, 2024
- Exports, In Physical Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Exports, In Value Terms, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
- Export Prices, By Country: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)