Jobless claims held steady, unemployment apps at 3 year high

(CNN)– First time filing for unemployment held steady last week indicating layoff activity remains low.

That’s according to a report from the U.S. Department of Labor.

There were an estimated 219 thousand initial jobless claims filed during the week of December 21.

That’s a drop of one thousand from the week before.

However, the number of people receiving ongoing jobless benefits hit a three year high, a signal that it’s harder for job seekers to find work.