Topline
The number of Americans who filed for unemployment rose more than expected from mid-September to mid-October, according to the Labor Department, whose key economic reports were delayed during the government shutdown.
Economists projected a cooling labor market for weeks during the government shutdown.
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Key Facts
Applications for jobless benefits in the U.S. totaled 232,000 in the week ending Oct. 18, according to Labor Department data, an increase over the last reported 219,000 applications for the week ending Sept. 20 and above the Dow Jones consensus of 223,000 claims.
Continuing jobless claims, or the number of people receiving benefits, rose slightly to 1.957 million from 1.947 million the previous week.
Weekly data on initial claims is not available for the previous three weeks, and the Labor Department has not yet released its jobless claims report despite the government shutdown ending last week.
What To Watch For
Whether the Labor Department’s jobless claims data will be updated later this week. Several other economic reports were delayed during the shutdown, including September and October unemployment data, though the Bureau of Labor Statistics is expected to release the postponed reports in the coming weeks. The agency has already updated its schedule to show that September’s jobs report will be released on Thursday. Wall Street expects the U.S. to have added 58,000 nonfarm jobs in September and for the unemployment rate to have settled at 4.3%, according to FactSet. It’s not immediately clear when the other reports will be released: National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said October’s jobs report will be partially released, dispelling concerns the data would not be released after the White House said the report would “likely never” be published.
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Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2025/11/18/jobless-claims-rose-more-than-expected-last-month-to-232000-delayed-data-shows/


