US unemployment claims grow

Washington, Feb 10 The number of individuals in the US who applied for unemployment benefits early this month climbed to 196,000, an increase of 13,000, according to government figures.

New unemployment applications edged up from 183,000 in the previous week, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the Labor Department, this was the first increase in claims since December 2022.

Economists in a Wall Street Journal survey had predicted that new jobless claims would amount to 190,000 for the seven days before February 4.

Meanwhile, inflation continues to hurt the wallets of millions of Americans.

Polls find that 50 per cent of Americans said they are financially worse off than a year ago.