The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) reported 194,000 new unemployment-benefit claims for the week ended Oct. 17, while continuing claims increased in the prior week, giving a mixed weekly picture of labor-market readings.
Seasonally adjusted initial claims were down 6,000 from the previous week’s revised total of 200,000. The department had earlier estimated that week’s figure at 199,000, as reported in EconoTimes’ account of the Oct. 10 claims reading. The four-week average fell by 1,000 to 197,750.
Continuing claims, which count people who have already filed and claim benefits for another week, rose by 25,000 to 1.728 million for the week ended Oct. 10. Initial claims measure first applications for benefits after a job separation, so the two figures cover different stages of benefit claims and different reporting weeks.
Michigan had the largest state increase, with 1,988 more unadjusted initial claims. Ohio had the sharpest decline, down 4,493, followed by Tennessee, down 2,642.
