Weekly Jobs Report: 853,000 total first time jobless claims

- first time jobless claims jumpe- last week.- according to the labor- department, first time claims - totaled 853-thousand.

- that's 100-thousand more than - the previous week - and the highest number of claim- since september 19th.

- it's much higher than analysts- had been expecting- though they had predicted an- increase over last week's - number.

- continuing claims or the number- of people claiming- benefits for two weeks in a row- or more - also jumped by 230- - - - - thousand to five-point- - seven-six million.- that's the first increase in- that metric since late august.- these numbers reflect a job - market that is continuing to- struggle amid surges in - coronavirus cases and some- local governments placing - restrictions on - some activity.-