Encouraging economic news came from the government's early release of data on Wednesday: Jobless claims dropped to 199,000 last week, the lowest since 1969, while the advance goods trade deficit narrowed significantly to $82.9 billion in October, led by a sharp rise in exports. The jobs data was a ... READ MORE >
initial jobless claims
Chart of the day: Decline in initial jobless claims slows
New filings for jobless claims showed little change for the week ending Nov. 13 with a decrease of 1,000 from the prior week to 268,000, according to data from the Labor Department released on Tuesday. The steady weekly declines in new claims in early October have slowed significantly in the first two ... READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Jobless claims approach pre-pandemic level
Claims for jobless benefits continued to signal a steady bounce back of the labor market as new filings declined to a pandemic low of 267,000 for the week ending Nov. 6. That was 4,000 fewer claims compared to the previous week and was the sixth consecutive weekly drop, according to data on Wednesday ... READ MORE >
Initial jobless claims drop to pandemic low as labor market rebounds
New filings for jobless claims declined for the fifth consecutive month as labor shortages kept layoffs low. At the current pace, new jobless claims could reach their pre-pandemic level by the end of the year. Initial jobless claims declined to 269,000 for the week ending Oct. 30, following an ... READ MORE >
Jobless claims hit pandemic low as labor market recovers
New filings for jobless claims dropped to another pandemic low last week as jobs remain plentiful while employers continue to compete for employees. Initial jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 281,000 for the week ending Oct. 23, according to government data released Thursday. The same figure ... READ MORE >
Initial jobless claims hit a pandemic low
In another sign of the continuing tight labor market, new jobless claims hit a pandemic low at 290,000 for the week ending Oct. 9, following an upwardly revised reading of 329,000 in the previous week. This significant drop continues to highlight a labor market in which demand for labor has been the ... READ MORE >
Initial jobless claims fell more than expected as labor market gained momentum
First-time claims for jobless benefits—a proxy for layoffs—declined more than expected for the week ending Oct. 2 in a sign that the labor market continues to be tight and that layoffs are not a major issue in the economy. The headline claims for newly unemployed workers posted a significant 10.4% drop ... READ MORE >
Initial jobless claims rose for third straight week as millions lost federal pandemic benefits
First-time jobless claims rose to 362,000 for the week ending Sept. 25 as enhanced federal unemployment benefits ended, according to government data released Thursday. The report provided the first look at how filing for benefits has changed with the expiration of enhanced federal unemployment benefits on ... READ MORE >
Initial jobless claims rise in the wake of Hurricane Ida
The economic impact of Hurricane Ida was evident in the most recent initial jobless claims data, which rose to 332,000 for the week ending Sept. 11. There were noticeable increases in first-time claims, as one would expect, in New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Louisiana and Alabama, according to ... READ MORE >
Initial jobless claims fall to 310,000, but expect volatility in the coming weeks
First-time claims for unemployment benefits declined to 310,000 for the week ending Sept. 4, down from 345,000 the week before and well below the 13-week moving average of 377,000. Continuing claims increased to 2.783 million for the week ending Aug. 28. Overall, those receiving some form of ... READ MORE >