Australia employment unexpectedly dipped in December following an outsized gain the month before in a sign the red-hot labour market might be cooling, though the jobless rate stayed near five-decade lows.
Similar dynamics helped fuel the "Great Resignation" -- the surge in employees leaving or switching jobs amid pandemic-related pressures.
Factors boosting stocks include progress on President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus package and increasing momentum behind coronavirus vaccines.
Labor Department data showed new applications for US jobless benefits rose to a seven-week high of 898,000 last week, an increase of 53,000.
The pound rallied on the update, which included news that the BoE held its main interest rate at a record-low 0.1 percent.
With key unemployment benefits, ban on evictions already lapsed for millions, Republicans and Democrats far apart in talks on a fresh economic rescue package.
Economists suggested the weak data could spur US lawmakers to push on with fresh stimulus measures as their previous package comes to an end soon.
Layoffs caused by the coronavirus pandemic in the US passed 45.7 million last week.
The British central bank has been at the forefront of economic fire-fighting over this year's deadly COVID-19 emergency.
While tensions between China and the US continue to play in the background, the general mood at the start of June has been upbeat.
The downbeat mood was compounded by another spike in US jobless claims and overshadowed news several countries were easing strict lockdown measures.
The Treasury has forecast the unemployment rate will reach 10 percent in the June quarter.
Traders remain buoyed, as stimulus and central bank backstopping measures along with easing China US-tensions are providing much-needed reassurance.
The crash will almost certainly be accompanied by a surge in unemployment, especially in countries with weaker worker rights, such as the US.
The Trump administration released the Economic Report of the President on Thursday, which claims a vast improvement over the previous administration.
The IMF slashed its outlook for the region's three largest economies -- Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
For those who wish to seek rehabilitation and contribute to society, we must think about how the crime has affected their lives and how we can support them back into work.
Germany is operating at full employment, with the jobless rate only 3.4 percent. Others such as Spain and Italy have double-digit unemployment rates.
Supporters of the idea say it could bring an end to poverty while simultaneously enhancing people's freedom.
Donald Trump looks at changing health rules so that unemployed people might need a job to get Medicaid coverage.
Jobs report makes clear the US economy is on a firm footing but income levels nowhere near boom times.
New survey finds hordes of workers looking for new jobs as Christmas approaches.