The number of Americans filling for unemployment benefits rose by 860 thousand in the week ended September 12th, compared to 893 thousand in the previous period and above market expectations of 850 thousand. It was the third consecutive week with claims below 1 million, but the number remained well above 665 thousand filed at the peak of the Great Recession in March 2009, suggesting the labor market recovery was stalled amid a spike in COVID-19 cases. Initial claims started to fall in May from a record 6.867 million reached back in March as many non-essential businesses started to reopen following weeks of closure due to the pandemic.

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States averaged 368.87 Thousand from 1967 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 6867 Thousand in March of 2020 and a record low of 162 Thousand in November of 1968. This page provides the latest reported value for - United States Initial Jobless Claims - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. United States Initial Jobless Claims - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on September of 2020. source: U.S. Department of Labor