US Jobless Claims Hit 225,000 as Productivity Growth Is Cut to 0.3%
Updated
Updated · Reuters · Jun 4
US Jobless Claims Hit 225,000 as Productivity Growth Is Cut to 0.3%
3 articles · Updated · Reuters · Jun 4
Summary
225,000 Americans filed new unemployment claims in the week ended May 30, up 13,000 and the highest since early February, though continuing claims fell 8,000 to 1.777 million.
Memorial Day timing and the approaching end of the school year likely drove much of the increase, leaving the four-week average at a still-muted 214,750 and the broader labor market in a low-hire, low-fire pattern.
97,006 planned job cuts were announced in May, up 16% from April, but layoffs remain low by historical standards and economists said the Iran conflict has not yet clearly hit employment.
Separately, first-quarter nonfarm productivity growth was revised down to a 0.3% annualized rate from 0.8%, while unit labor cost growth was cut to 1.8%, reinforcing expectations the Fed will stay focused on inflation.