Updated: 29-May-25 09:34 ET

Initial Claims for the Week Ended May 24

Updated: 29-May-25 09:34 ET

Highlights

• Initial jobless claims for the week ending May 24 increased by 16,000 to 240,000 (Briefing.com consensus 230,000).
• Continuing jobless claims for the week ending May 17 increased by 26,000 to 1.919 million, hitting their highest level since November 13, 2021.

Key Factors

• The four-week moving average for initial claims decreased by 250 to 230,750.
• The four-week moving average for continuing claims increased by 2,750 to 1,890,250.
• The total number of continued weeks claimed for benefits in all programs for the week ending May 10 was 1,808,372, an increase of 492 from the previous week and compared to 1,710,932 in the comparable week a year ago.

Big Picture

• The key takeaway from the report was the tandem jump in initial and continuing jobless claims, which denotes some increased layoff activity and some increased difficulty in finding a new job after being laid off.

Category	May 24	May 17	May 10	May 3	Apr 26
Initial Claims	240K	226K	228K	229K	241K
4-Wk Moving Avg	231K	231K	230K	227K	226K
Continued Benefits		1919K	1893K	1877K	1872K
4-Wk Moving Avg		1890K	1888K	1873K	1873K