First-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits rose by 10,000 to 277,000 for the week ending Sept. 26, the Department of Labor reported Thursday.
Private-sector economists polled by Bloomberg had expected just over 270,000 first-time claims, which are adjusted for seasonal fluctuations.
Claims for unemployment benefits have been running at low levels for about half a year. Amid many mixed signals about the strength of the economy, jobless claims have been one of the strongest indications that the economy is still growing.
Despite Thursday’s uptick, claims haven’t hit the 300,000 mark since February, suggesting few layoffs.
Meanwhile, the four-week moving average of claims fell by 1,000, dropping to 270,750. The moving average of claims remains at levels not previously seen since the turn of the century, during the dot-com bubble.
Also encouraging was the fact that the total number of unemployed people receiving benefits in September hit the lowest level since November of 2000. Altogether, 2.19 million people were receiving benefits, adjusting for seasonal variation, fewer than any time during the housing bubble or any other period since 2000. Benefits are currently available for up to 26 weeks.
The Labor Department releases numbers on jobless claims from the states on a weekly basis, providing a more up-to-day look at the health of the labor market to complement the monthly jobs report.
The monthly jobs report for September will be released Friday morning. Economists expect it to show roughly 200,000 new payroll jobs, below this year’s average but an improvement over August’s 173,000 number.
The Labor Department said that no special factors influenced Thursday’s release.
California saw the biggest surge in initial jobless claims, with 3,725. Kansas, Texas, and New York also saw increases of several thousand.
