By Jessica Coacci
U.S. jobless claims rose last week, but layoffs still remain at stable levels.
The number of people who filed for unemployment benefits was 214,000 in the week through April 18, higher than the 208,000 reported a week earlier, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal were expecting to see 210,000 new claims.
Continuing claims, which scale with the total size of the unemployed population, rose to 1.82 million in the week through April 11 versus 1.81 million a week earlier. The data on continuing claims lag the initial-claims data by a week.
As economists monitor how the conflict in Iran will affect economic growth and the labor market, jobless claims have remained relatively stable. Still, the "low hire-low fire" dynamic persists. Recent March data from the New York Fed show the expected likelihood of moving to a new employer fell to the lowest level in about five years.
Write to Jessica Coacci at jessica.coacci@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
04-23-26 0856ET
