Indicators
US Initial Jobless Claims Jump to Highest in Almost Four Years
Job seekers wait in line to speak with a representative during a career fair in Los Angeles.
Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/BloombergApplications for US unemployment benefits jumped last week to the highest level in almost four years, indicating layoff activity may be on the rise amid a sharp slowdown in hiring.
Initial claims rose by 27,000 to 263,000 in the week ended Sept. 6, the highest since October 2021, according to Labor Department data released Thursday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 235,000 applications.