Analysis: The number of initial unemployment claims in the U.S. decreased last week, indicating that the labor market remains in a low hiring and low layoffs situation.

Deep Tide TechFlow message. On April 2, according to Jintou data, data released by the U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday showed that the number of newly filed unemployment claims fell to 202,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis last week, indicating that the March labor market remained steady, with a relatively low level of layoffs. Since the beginning of this year, initial claims have been fluctuating in a range of 201,000 to 230,000, consistent with the “low hiring, low layoffs” characteristics that economists describe. They attribute labor market stagnation to the persistent uncertainty brought about by Trump’s aggressive import tariff policies. In addition, the one-month war between the U.S. and Israel against Iran has added another layer of uncertainty for businesses. According to a Reuters survey of economists, March nonfarm payrolls could rebound by about 60,000 jobs, but some economists warn that, due to a more than 50% surge in global oil prices caused by the conflict, this rebound may be temporary. Nancy Vanden Houten, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, said: “We expect the war to delay the moderate improvement in the labor market that was originally expected this year. Due to uncertainty, a slowdown in consumer spending, and rising costs, businesses will pause hiring.”