According to recently released Labor Department figures, more people filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week.
The statistics showed that the total number increased by 4,000, totaling 372,000, higher than 41 economists surveyed by Bloomberg had expected. According to the source, many retailers are still waiting to see if the economy is able to sustain long-term growth before bringing on new staff hires.
Experts say that for the time being, hiring would remain weak until a clearer picture emerged.
"It’s still very sluggish, and growth itself is implying we should not see any acceleration in hiring at this point," Yelena Shulyatyeva, a U.S. economist at BNP Paris said in an interview with the source.
There are positive signs, however. Last month, employers added 163,000 jobs, the largest jump since February of this year.
Other areas of North America seem to be experiencing more success when it comes to jobs figures. The unemployment rate in Canada fell to 7.2 percent, which was lower than the month prior.
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