Slightly Over 1M Americans File for First-Time Unemployment Insurance Benefits

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A little more than 1 million Americans filed for first-time unemployment insurance benefits during the week ending Aug. 22, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday morning. The most recent figure is what economists surveyed by Dow Jones expected for the week. The total was a decrease of 98,000 claims from the previous week. It was the second consecutive week claims totaled more than 1 million after the week ending Aug. 8 snapped a 20-week streak of at least 1 million claims since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The four-week moving average also decreased for the week, falling by 107,250 claims to just under 1.1 million. Continuing claims fell by 223,000 to 14.5 million for the week ending Aug. 15. (Data for continuing claims is delayed by one week.)