Updated: 11-Sep-25 09:21 ET

Initial Claims for the Week Ended Sep 06

Updated: 11-Sep-25 09:21 ET

Highlights

• Initial jobless claims for the week ending September 6 spiked by 27,000 to 263,000 (Briefing.com consensus: 240,000), which is the highest since October 2021.
• Continuing jobless claims for the week ending August 30 were 1.939 million, unchanged from the prior week.

Key Factors

• The four-week moving average for initial claims increased by 9,750 to 240,500.
• The four-week moving average for continuing claims decreased by 750 to 1,945,750.
• The total number of continued weeks claimed for benefits in all programs for the week ending August 23 was 1,925,324, a decrease of 40,823 from the previous week and compared to 1,824,685 in the comparable week a year ago.

Big Picture

• The key takeaway from the report is rooted in the eye-opening initial jobless claims print, which will be construed in the market's mind as a weakening labor market signal and another basis for the Fed to cut rates in September, as well as in October and December.

Category	Sep 6	Aug 30	Aug 23	Aug 16	Aug 9
Initial Claims	263K	236K	229K	234K	224K
4-Wk Moving Avg	241K	231K	229K	226K	222K
Continued Benefits		1939K	1939K	1944K	1961K
4-Wk Moving Avg		1946K	1947K	1954K	1952K