US filings for jobless applications retreat back to recent ranges after big jump due to hurricanes

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits last week came back down to more recent ranges after a big jump the week before due to recent hurricanes in the Southeast.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that applications for jobless claims fell by by 19,000 to 241,000 for the week of Oct. 12. That’s well below the 262,000 analysts were expecting.

Applications for jobless benefits are widely considered representative of U.S. layoffs in a given week.

The four-week average of claims, which evens out some of the weekly volatility, rose by 4,750 to 236,250.

The total number of Americans collecting jobless benefits rose by 9,000 to about 1.87 million for the week of Oct. 5, the most since late July.

Last week, filings rose to their highest level since June of 2023, which economists said was likely a result of Hurricane Helene and an ongoing Boeing machinist strike .