The number of American workers filing weekly jobless claims—a proxy for layoffs—rose by 23,000 from the prior week in what could be a sign of an impact from the Omicron surge, though the number of people continuing to claim benefits hit a multi-decade low, suggesting further labor market tightening. First-time filings for unemployment insurance came in at 230,000 for the week ending Jan. 8, up from the prior week’s 207,000, the Labor Department said in a report (pdf). “This may well be the first report suggesting Omicron is leading to new job loss,” Bankrate Senior Economic Analyst Mark Hamrick told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement. The four-week moving average, which smooths out week-to-week fluctuations and touched a 52-year low in the prior week, rose by 6,300 to nearly 211,000. “The future path of the pandemic remains highly uncertain, but the underlying job market narrative overall continues be one …