U.S. Jobless Claims Fall to Lowest Level Since Before Storms

(Bloomberg) -- Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits declined last week to the lowest level since late August, before major hurricanes sent jobless claims soaring, Labor Department figures showed Thursday.

Key Takeaways

Jobless claims have returned to levels seen before hurricanes Harvey and Irma slammed into Texas, Florida and Georgia in late August and early September that eventually caused a spike in applications. While the Labor Department said the latest data still reflect the impacts of the Atlantic hurricane season, the number of filings for jobless benefits is consistent with a robust labor market.

Employers remain reluctant to dismiss people amid a shortage of qualified workers, which has kept claims hovering near the lowest level in more than four decades.

Other Details

• Prior week’s reading was revised to 258,000 from 260,000
• Unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits fell to 1.3 percent from 1.4 percent
• Claims were estimated for Virginia, South Carolina and the Virgin Islands

--With assistance from Patricia Laya and Jordan Yadoo

To contact the reporter on this story: Shobhana Chandra in Washington at schandra1@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Scott Lanman at slanman@bloomberg.net, Vince Golle