U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Fall to 189,000, Matching a 57-Year Low; Continuing Claims Rise to 1.718 Million
The U.S. Department of Labor released its weekly unemployment insurance claims report on Nov. 5: the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 189,000 in the week ending Oct. 31, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's revised level of 195,000. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 194,000.
The reading matched the 189,000 recorded in the week of July 18. According to Reuters, it was the lowest level for initial claims since 1969; economists polled by Reuters had expected 196,000. Claims have mostly stayed below 200,000 since mid-September.
The four-week moving average, which smooths weekly volatility, was 194,750, a decrease of 2,250 from the previous week's revised average of 197,000.
Continuing claims — the number of people receiving benefits after an initial week of aid — rose to 1,718,000 in the week ending Oct. 24, an increase of 23,000 from the previous week's revised level of 1,695,000. The four-week moving average of continuing claims was 1,709,500, up 1,000. The insured unemployment rate was 1.1 percent, unchanged from the previous week.
On an unadjusted basis, initial claims totaled 176,698, down 11,460 from the previous week.
The weekly claims report is one of the most timely readings on the U.S. labor market. Attention now turns to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' October employment report due Friday for a fuller picture of labor-market conditions.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 美国劳工部位于华盛顿的总部 Frances Perkins Building 标识牌与大楼；照片：U.S. Department of Labor，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。
