United States Initial Jobless Claims

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose to 332 thousand in the week ending September 11th from a pandemic low of 312 thousand reported last week due to a combination of unfavorable seasonals and a surge in applications delayed by Hurricane Ida. It is the first reading after the September 6th expiration of enhanced unemployment benefits including a $300 weekly supplement to regular state benefits from government pandemic aid. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the number of claims was down to 263 thousand, compared with 286 thousand in the previous week. Also, about 28 thousand people applied for help from the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance scheme, which covers workers that do not qualify for initial claims, the lowest level on record.