First-Time Unemployment Claims Reach 884,000, Surpassing Economists’ Expectations

WASHINGTON, D.C. — First-time unemployment claims for the week ending Sept. 5 reached 884,000, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday morning. For the week ending Aug. 29, unemployment claims totaled 881,000.

Economists surveyed by Dow Jones expected the weekly total to come in at 850,000, reflecting a downward trend from the previous week. The two previous weeks mark the first time since mid-March that unemployment claims have been fewer than 1 million in back-to-back weeks.

Continuing claims — for which data is a week behind — ticked up to 13.8 million for the week ending Sept. 3, 93,000 higher than the week ending Aug. 29.