New claims for US unemployment benefits increased to a more than two-month high last week, but remained at a level consistent with tightening labor market conditions and further wage gains that could keep inflation hot for a while.
The report from the Labor Department on Thursday also showed the number of Americans collecting state unemployment checks was the smallest in more than 52 years towards the end of April. Economists said last week’s increase in initial claims was probably due to difficulties adjusting the data for seasonal fluctuations around moving holidays like Easter, Passover and school spring breaks.
“The latest level of initial claims filings is still pretty low by broad historical standards, and continuing claims filings kept trending lower through today’s report, so overall we believe that the labor market remains strong,” said Daniel Silver, an economist at JPMorgan in New York.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 19,000 to a seasonally adjusted 200,000 for the week ended April 30, the highest since mid-February.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 182,000 applications for the latest week.
Claims at 200,000 are viewed as consistent with strong demand for workers. The number of people receiving benefits after an initial week of aid dropped 19,000 to 1.384 million during the week ending April 23. The was the lowest level for the so-called continuing claims since January 1970.
Government data this week showed there were a record 11.5 million job openings on the last day of March, which widened the jobs-workers gap to a record 3.4% of the labor force from 3.1% in February. The labor market imbalance is forcing employers to increase wages, contributing to soaring inflation.
Compensation for American workers logged its largest increase in more than three decades in the first quarter, government data showed last week.
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised its policy interest rate by half a percentage point, the biggest hike in 22 years, and said the US central bank would begin trimming its bond holdings next month as it battles sky-high inflation.
It started raising rates in March. Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters that “the labor market is extremely tight, and inflation is much too high.”
Claims, which have dropped from a record high of 6.137 million in early April 2020, will be closely watched for signs of whether rising borrowing costs are curbing demand. The rise in claims last week was driven by a 7,342 jump in filings in New York and a 3,169 increase in Illinois. Those gains offset notable declines in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Ohio.
