The number of people filing for unemployment benefits for the first time reached a seasonally adjusted 242,000 last week, its highest total since mid-October and one of the highest weekly totals of 2024.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 17,000 to a seasonally adjusted 242,000 for the week ended Dec. 7, the Labor Department said on Thursday.

This week’s report also showed that continuing claims, the total number of Americans collecting jobless benefits, rose by 15,000 to 1.89 million for the week of Nov. 30. The four-week average of weekly claims, which softens some of the week-to-week ...