Initial jobless claims
Initial jobless claims and continuing claims for current wk
  • Prior week jobless claims 201K revised to 202K
  • Initial jobless claims 204K vs 214K est.
  • 4-week moving average initial jobless claims 217.25K vs 217.0K last week.
  • Continuing claims 1.670M vs 1.675M estimate. Prior week revised to 1.658M from 1.662M previously reported
  • 4-week moving average of continuing claims 1.674M vs 1.686M prior week
  • The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending September 16 were in Georgia (+1,539), New York (+1,332), South Carolina (+1,103), Texas (+987), and Oregon (+557),
  • The largest decreases were in Indiana (-2,761), California (-1,498), Virginia (-631), Iowa (-558), and Kentucky (-375).

The jobless claims data continue to show a strong employment picture. It may be that job losses are at the higher end of the pay scale, but the lower-level jobs continue to be in demand.