# U.S. Job Market Sending Mixed Signals—Better Claims Data But Hiring Momentum Slowing
The labor market just threw us a curveball this week. First-time jobless claims dropped to 220,000 in the week ending November 15th—beating economist expectations of 223,000. Sounds bullish? Not so fast.
Here's the plot twist: While initial claims are cooling, *continuing claims* just hit a 4-year high at 1.974 million. That's a 28,000 jump week-over-week and the highest level since November 2021. Translation? People who are already unemployed are staying unemployed longer—not a great sign.
The 4-week movin
The labor market just threw us a curveball this week. First-time jobless claims dropped to 220,000 in the week ending November 15th—beating economist expectations of 223,000. Sounds bullish? Not so fast.
Here's the plot twist: While initial claims are cooling, *continuing claims* just hit a 4-year high at 1.974 million. That's a 28,000 jump week-over-week and the highest level since November 2021. Translation? People who are already unemployed are staying unemployed longer—not a great sign.
The 4-week movin

