First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits increased by more than expected in the week ended March 23rd, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday.
The report showed that initial jobless claims rose to 357,000, an increase of 16,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 341,000.
Economists had expected jobless claims to edge up to 340,000 from the 336,000 originally reported for the previous week.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Economic News
What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
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.