Jobless claims rise to the highest level in almost 2 months

The US Department of Labor Building on March 26, 2020, in Washington, DC.
(Image credit: ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images))

The number of Americans filing new jobless claims has unexpectedly risen to the highest level since August.

The Labor Department on Thursday said that 898,000 Americans filed first-time jobless claims last week, up more than 50,000 claims from the week before. This was not only more than the 830,000 claims economists had been anticipating but was also the highest number of weekly claims since Aug. 22, CNBC reports.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.