Jobless Claims Rose By Most Since 2020 Last Week

ByTy Roush,

Forbes Staff.

Applications for unemployment benefits in the U.S. accelerated last week by the most in five years, according to weekly data released Thursday by the Labor Department, which previously reported a three-year low amid persisting concerns about the job market.

Unemployment benefits applications totaled 236,000 last week, the Labor Department reported, an increase of 44,000 from the revised-up total of 192,000 for the previous week and well above Wall Street’s estimates of 213,000, according to FactSet.

An additional 44,000 applications is the largest single-week jump since March 2020, while the previous week’s total was the lowest since March 2023.