First-Time Claims for Unemployment Insurance Rise to 745,000

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A total of 745,000 Americans filed for unemployment insurance for the week that ended Feb. 27, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday. The amount of initial jobless claims was below the 750,000 figure that economists surveyed by Dow Jones predicted and is an increase from last week’s revised amount of 736,000. Continuing claims, for which data lags a week, decreased to a little below 4.3 million. CNBC reports that the continuing claims total hit another pandemic-era low. Additionally, the outlet reports that winter storms in Texas hurt the economy in the state, causing an increase of 17,769 unemployment filings. Ohio and New York also experienced elevated claims.