The number of people filing for unemployment benefits in the USA unexpectedly rose last week, and the number of people receiving unemployment benefits at the end of November continued to increase compared to the beginning of the year, as labor demand cooled. The USA Department of Labor announced on Thursday that for the week ending December 7, the initial claims for unemployment benefits increased by 0.017 million people, seasonally adjusted to 0.242 million. Economists had previously expected that the initial claims for unemployment benefits last week would only be 0.22 million people. The jump in initial claims for unemployment benefits last week may reflect fluctuations after the Thanksgiving holidays and may not indicate a sudden shift in the employment market conditions. In the coming weeks, initial claims for unemployment benefits may still fluctuate, which may make clear interpretation of the employment market difficult.