WASHINGTON - Initial jobless claims rose 6,000 to 401,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending Oct. 1, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Continuing claims fell to 3.700 million for the week ending September 24, their lowest level since July 30.
A Labor Department official said there were no special factors affecting this week’s report of initial claims.
Economists expected 410,000 initial claims and 3.720 million continuing claims, according to the median estimate from Thomson Reuters.
Initial claims for the week ending Sept. 24 were revised to 395,000. Continuing claims for the week ended Sept. 17 were revised to 3.752 million.
The Labor Department said last week that the unexpected drop in initial claims to 391,000 for the week ending Sept. 24 was likely due to problems with seasonal adjustment factors. The official said today that the upward revision for the Oct. 1 week did not include any change in those factors.
The four-week moving average for initial claims was 414,000 and was revised to 418,000 for the previous week. The four-week moving average for continuing claims was 3.739 million, down from the preceding week's revised 3.749 million.
In actual unadjusted numbers, 13 states reported increased claims while 40 states reported declines.
