U.S. jobless claims jumped to the highest level since mid-June, the government said Thursday. The Labor Department said jobless claims in the week ending Dec. 17 rose a seasonally adjusted 21,000 to 275,000. Economists polled by MarketWatch expected claims of 258,000. The four-week average of claims, a less volatile indicator, rose by 6,000 to 263,750. Even with the increase, this marks 94 consecutive weeks of initial claims below 300,000, the longest streak since 1970. Continuing jobless claims in the week ending Dec. 3 fell by nearly 79,000 to 2.04 million. These claims reflect the number of people already receiving unemployment checks. There’s some debate at what the low jobless numbers mean. The ratio of continuing claims to the total number of unemployed was 27% in November, compared to a low of 34% during the previous expansion. That’s an indication of fewer people eligible for unemployment insurance — perhaps, due to the rise of the so-called “gig� economy. The percentage of workers in the so-called contingent workforce rose to 15.8% in 2015 from 10.1% in 2005, according to data compiled by the Rand Corp. That said, Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen told college graduates on Monday they’re entering the strongest job market in close to a decade. Job creation has been steady and job openings are near record highs. The Fed hiked interest rates last week for only the second time in a decade, in part in response to the strength of the labor market.

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