Notes from the Economy: Jobless Claims
by Adam Hughes*, 8/7/2008
The Labor Department released its weekly unemployment insurance (UI) claims data this morning.
- 455,000 workers filed first-time UI claims last week, a jump of 7,000 from the previous week. The number of claims last week had not been seen since March 2002.
- The four-week average for new UI claims moved up to 419,500, a five-year high
- The number of continuing claims rose to 3,311,000, also a five-year high