U.S. workers filed 200,000 initial claims for state unemployment benefits in the week ending Nov. 7, up 9,000 from the prior week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week average held at 195,250 after revisions. The number of people continuing to claim benefits, measured a week earlier, declined.
The agency revised its prior initial-claims figure from 189,000 to 191,000. That revision matters when comparing the two releases. Thursday's increase was 9,000 against the updated baseline, even though the difference between the headline numbers originally reported for the two weeks was 11,000. Economists surveyed by Reuters had expected 195,000 initial claims this week.
Two counts from different weeks
Initial claims measure new filings. Continuing claims count people still claiming benefits after the initial week. The latest continuing count fell by 20,000 to 1.697 million in the week ending Oct. 31. Its own four-week average slipped to about 1.708 million, and the insured unemployment rate held at 1.1%. The one-week lag means the two series describe different periods. The fall in continuing claims compares the weeks ending Oct. 24 and Oct. 31, while the increase in new filings compares Oct. 31 and Nov. 7.
The headline totals are seasonally adjusted. Before that adjustment, state programs recorded 206,982 initial filings, up from 178,112 the week before. The Labor Department expected some increase based on seasonal patterns. The comparable week a year earlier had 238,729 unadjusted filings, nearly 32,000 more than the latest week. The year-ago comparison uses unadjusted figures on both sides.
What the weekly report can tell workers
Initial claims are an early reading on applications for unemployment insurance. They leave out people who lose a job and never file. Continuing claims also miss job seekers without enough work history to qualify and those who have used up their benefits. A drop in continuing claims can therefore reflect more than people finding jobs.
The separate October jobs report puts the latest claims figures in context. Employers added 165,000 jobs in October, and the national unemployment rate was 4.1%. Yet the median time unemployed rose to 11.9 weeks, from 11.5 in September. The monthly survey includes job seekers who are outside the benefits system.
The Associated Press reported that initial claims have stayed at or below 200,000 for nine straight weeks. The latest week sits at the top of that run, while the four-week average stayed level. For a broader read on hiring and job search, the next monthly employment report is scheduled for Dec. 4.
