Jobless claims drop unexpectedly, Labor Department says

The number of Americans filing jobless claims dropped unexpectedly this week, a development that comes amid a still-tight labor market as fears of recession continue to circulate. 

In the week ending Jan. 14, seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment were 190,000, representing a decrease of 15,000 from the week prior, the Department of Labor said in a Thursday press release.

The labor department added that "the 4-week moving average was 206,000, a decrease of 6,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 212,500."

Robert Frick, a corporate economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, told CNN that "plenty of firms are desperate for more workers, especially tech workers."

"The labor market is still so tight that many tech workers, and workers with other skills, are snapped up well before they need to collect an unemployment check," Frick said.