Jobless claims remained at 205,000. The United States had a near-record 11 million job openings in October, and 4.2 million Americans quit their jobs — just off September's record 4.4 million — because there are so many opportunities. Employers slashed more than 22 million jobs in March and April 2020, and the unemployment rate rocketed to 14.8%. Employers have added 18.5 million jobs since April 2020, still leaving the U.S. still 3.9 million jobs short of what it had before the pandemic. The unemployment rate has fallen to 4.2%, close to what economists consider full employment.

Source: CBC News December 23, 2021 16:28 UTC