First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits saw a modest increase in the week ended June 17th, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday.
The report said initial jobless claims inched up to 241,000, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week's revised level of 238,000.
Economists had expected jobless claims to edge up to 240,000 from the 237,000 originally reported for the previous week.
The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also crept up to 244,750, an increase of 1,500 from the previous week's revised average of 243,250.
Continuing claims, a reading on the number of people receiving ongoing unemployment assistance, also climbed by 8,000 to 1.944 million in the week ended June 10th.
The four-week moving average of continuing claims rose to 1.932 million, an increase of 5,000 from the previous week's revised average of 1.927 million.
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April 24, 2026 15:15 ET Economics news flow was relatively light this week even as the conflict in the Middle East continued, raising concerns for policymakers. In the U.S., spending data, initial jobless claims and pending home sales were the highlights. Business confidence in the biggest euro area economy was in focus in Europe. Inflation data from Japan gained attention in Asia.