First-time filings for unemployment benefits rose last week, reaching the highest level in a month.
- Initial jobless claims for the week ended Sept.18 on a seasonally adjusted basis were 351,000, an increase from the previous week’s upwardly revised 335,000.
- Continuing claims, the figure that runs a week behind, also rose, increasing 181,000 to a total of over 2.84 million.
- The four-week moving average for initial claims stands at 335,750, which is a 750 decrease from the prior week. Just before the start of the pandemic, the total was about 215,000.
- The four-week moving average for continuing claims dropped 15,750 to over 2.8 million. That figure was 1.73 million prior to the pandemic and 12.6 million a year ago.
- The total number of Americans receiving benefits is also declining, dropping by 856,440 to 11.25 million following the winding down of the enhanced unemployment benefits related to the pandemic.
Two US states accounted for most of the increase in jobless claims. California and Virginia recorded 24,221 and 12,879 surges in fillings respectively.
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Source: US Department of Labor
