Weekly Initial Unemployment Claims Increase to 235,000

by Calculated Risk on 8/21/2025 08:30:00 AM

The DOL reported:

In the week ending August 16, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 235,000, an increase of
11,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 224,000. The 4-week moving average was 226,250, an increase of
4,500 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 221,750.
emphasis added

The following graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since 1971.

The dashed line on the graph is the current 4-week average. The four-week average of weekly unemployment claims increased to 226,250.

The previous week was unrevised.

Weekly claims were above the consensus forecast.