The number of initial jobless claims in the United States increased slightly last week, and trade frictions may exacerbate employment pressures.

Last week, the number of initial jobless claims in the United States saw a slight increase, and as companies respond to Trump's import tariff policies, this number may continue to trend upwards. The US Department of Labor announced on Thursday that for the week ending on April 5th, the number of initial jobless claims increased by 4,000 to 223,000, in line with economists' expectations. The number of continuing jobless claims for the week ending on March 29th decreased by 43,000 to 1.85 million. Although the numbers are still at historical lows, analysts point out that the tariff war sparked by the Trump administration has severely damaged business and consumer confidence, potentially putting sustained pressure on investment, consumption, and labor demand. It is reported that the US economy added 228,000 jobs in March, while the unemployment rate rose from 4.1% in February to 4.2%. On Wednesday, Trump announced that he would suspend targeted tariffs on trading partners for 90 days, just hours after implementing significantly increased new tariffs that had caused financial markets to plunge. However, after China retaliated with an 84% tariff increase on US goods, Trump raised tariffs on Chinese goods from 104% to 125%. The EU has also suspended their initial retaliatory measures on US tariffs, although Trump's statement did not mention the EU. The imposition of a 10% comprehensive tariff on nearly all US imports remains in effect. Trump sees tariffs as a way to increase revenue to offset his promised tax cuts and revitalize the long-ailing US industrial base, but this also increases the likelihood of an economic recession within the next 12 months. In the ongoing legal disputes, there is currently no indication that widespread layoffs of federal government employees are impacting the labor market. While overall layoff numbers remain at historical lows, the lukewarm hiring situation is leaving those unemployed facing long-term difficulties.