First time unemployment filings hold at 217,000

WASHINGTON (UPI) — The number of people filing initial claims for unemployment benefits last week reached a seasonally adjusted 217,000, the same as the previous week before an upward revision by the Labor Department, federal officials said Thursday.

Officially, the number of claims for the week ending Nov. 4 is a decrease after officials revised the original filing for the week ending Oct. 28 up 3,000 to 220,000.

The filings are a snapshot that experts watch for to find clues about the stability of the U.S. workforce and economy.

The number of first-time claims, is significantly down from the 2023 high of 265,000 filed during the week ending June 17.

The four-week moving average for first-time filing was 212,250, an increase of 1,500 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised up by 750 from 210,000 to 210,750.

The seasonally adjusted number of all people filing for unemployment insurance for the week ending Oct. 28 was 1.83 million, an increase of 22,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s total was revised down by 6,000 from 1.812 million.

The four-week moving average was 1.79 million, an increase of 32,250 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised down by 1,500 to 1,756,750.