U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Fall to 194,000, Near 57-Year Lows
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 194,000 in the week ended October 17, the U.S. Department of Labor said on Thursday, October 22. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 200,000 claims, and the prior week's figure was revised up to 200,000.
The reading is within striking distance of the 189,000 level touched in mid-July, the lowest since 1969, pointing to low layoffs and labor market stability.
Continuing claims rose, however. The number of people receiving benefits after an initial week of aid, a proxy for hiring, increased 25,000 to a seasonally adjusted 1.728 million in the week ended October 10. The figure does not include recent college graduates and others ineligible for benefits because of little or no work history.
The claims data covered the period during which the government surveyed business establishments for the nonfarm payrolls component of October's employment report. Payrolls rose 29,000 in September after rebounding by 133,000 in August. Economists continue to describe the labor market as in a low-hire, low-fire state, while noting that strong profits and domestic demand have shielded workers from layoffs and that tighter financial conditions and higher interest rates could weigh on the market next year. (GSM, from Reuters reporting)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 华盛顿的美国劳工部总部 Frances Perkins Building 标识牌（美国劳工部发布，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons）。 / The Frances Perkins Building, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons).
