Initial jobless claims rose by 18,000 last week, hitting their highest mark in over three years as insured unemployment reached levels not seen since November 2021, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor.
For the week ending April 26, seasonally adjusted initial claims reached 241,000, up from the previous week’s revised figure of 223,000. The four-week moving average increased to 226,000, rising by 5,500 from the previous week.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate ticked up 0.1 percentage point to 1.3 percent for the week ending April 19. The total number of Americans continuing to receive unemployment benefits grew to 1,916,000 — an increase of 83,000 from the previous week and the highest level recorded since November 13, 2021.
State-by-state variation
The data revealed significant regional differences in unemployment trends. New Jersey, California, and Rhode Island reported the highest insured unemployment rates at 2.4 percent, 2.2 percent, and 2.2 percent respectively.
Among states reporting substantial increases in initial claims, New Jersey led with 2,875 additional claims, followed by Connecticut with 2,231 and Rhode Island with 1,868. New Jersey officials attributed their increase to layoffs in the educational services industry, while Rhode Island reported job losses across multiple sectors including transportation, warehousing, and healthcare.
Kentucky reported the largest decrease in claims, dropping by 4,613, which state officials attributed to fewer layoffs in manufacturing. Texas and Oklahoma also saw significant decreases of 1,896 and 1,336 respectively.
Unadjusted figures
Before seasonal adjustments, the total number of initial claims was 223,614, representing a 6.1 percent increase from the previous week. This significantly departed from seasonal expectations, which had projected a 1.8 percent decrease in claims.
For the week ending April 12, the total number of continued weeks claimed for benefits across all programs was 1,909,168, which marked a decrease of 64,391 from the previous week but remained higher than the 1,837,523 claims filed during the comparable week in 2024.
Former federal civilian employees filed 470 initial claims for the week ending April 19, down 187 from the previous week, while newly discharged veterans filed 358 claims, an increase of 18.
The Labor Department’s figures show the job market may be facing increasing pressure as multiple indicators point to rising unemployment claims amid ongoing economic uncertainty.
