US weekly jobless claims fall; continuing claims increase

[WASHINGTON] The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, but more out of work people are struggling to find new opportunities amid weak hiring.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 220,000 for the week ended Nov 15, the Labor Department said on Thursday (Nov 20). The Labor Department resumed publishing the weekly claims report following the end of a 43-day government shutdown. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 230,000 claims for the latest week.

The claims data covered the period during which the government would have surveyed business establishments for November nonfarm payrolls.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said on Wednesday that the data collection period for the establishment and household surveys would be extended, and extra processing time added. BLS cancelled October’s employment report because the longest shutdown in history prevented data collection for the household survey, from which the unemployment rate is calculated.

October’s nonfarm payrolls data will be released together with November’s employment report on Dec 16. The unemployment rate for October will never be known.

The number of people receiving unemployment benefits after an initial week of aid, a proxy for hiring, increased 28,000 to a seasonally adjusted 1.974 million during the week ending Nov 8, the claims report showed. REUTERS