(U.S.) The U.S. Department of Labor reported a modest increase in initial unemployment claims for the week ending March 21.
Seasonally adjusted initial claims rose to 210,000, up 5,000 from the previous week’s total of 205,000. Despite the increase, the four-week moving average declined slightly to 210,500, down 250 from the prior week.
The insured unemployment rate remained unchanged at 1.2 percent for the week ending March 14. Meanwhile, the number of people receiving unemployment benefits dropped to 1,819,000, a decrease of 32,000 from the previous week. That marks the lowest level for insured unemployment since late May 2024.
Unadjusted data showed a different trend, with initial claims totaling 185,980, down 5,002 from the previous week. The unadjusted insured unemployment rate fell to 1.3 percent, while the number of individuals receiving benefits declined by nearly 58,000 to just over 2.03 million.
