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U.S. Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Decline to a Three-Week Low

Jobless claims dropped by 10,000 to 210,000 in the week ended Oct. 5, according to Labor Department figures.

U.S. Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Decline to a Three-Week Low
A job seeker speaks with a company representative during a Choice Career Fair event in Seattle, Washington, U.S. (Photographer: Mike Kane/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- Applications for unemployment benefits in the U.S. unexpectedly declined to a three-week low despite a strike by General Motors Co. workers that continues to reverberate through supporting industries.

Jobless claims dropped by 10,000 to 210,000 in the week ended Oct. 5, according to Labor Department figures released Thursday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 220,000. The four-week average, a less-volatile measure, edged up to 213,750.

Key Insights

  • The number of initial claims is consistent with a tight labor market and the lowest jobless rate in five decades. It shows that manufacturing weakness, global growth concerns and slower business investment are having only a modest impact on the job market.
  • The report showed that the prior week’s 2,161 increase in Ohio’s initial claims was in manufacturing, which suggests some spillover effect from the GM strike. Claims in the latest week in Ohio declined 936.
  • The GM autoworkers’ strike began Sept. 15, and while striking workers are generally not entitled to receive unemployment benefits, individuals in related industries, such as parts suppliers, are eligible.
  • Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said in a speech Tuesday that “many indicators show a historically strong labor market,’’ citing solid job gains, low unemployment, and increasing prime-age labor force participation.

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  • A separate report from the Labor Department showed consumer prices trailed forecast in September.
  • Continuing claims, reported with a one-week lag, rose 29,000 to 1.68 million in the week ended Sept. 28.
  • The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits rose to 1.2% from 1.1%.

--With assistance from Jordan Yadoo.

To contact the reporters on this story: William Edwards in Washington at wedwards29@bloomberg.net;Jeff Kearns in Washington at jkearns3@bloomberg.net

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

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