Even though hiring plans and job postings look softer, employers are clearly trying to hold onto the workers that that currently have. The Claims figures were basically flat from the previous week - Initial Jobless Claims, which measures individuals filing for unemployment benefits for the first time, fell 2,000 to 190,000 and remains beneath 200,000. Continuing Claims, or those that continue to receive benefits after their initial claim, fell 5,000 to 1.7M, but there has been a upward trend in this figure. While these are volatile numbers, it’s clear that once workers are laid off they are having a harder time finding new work.