Weekly First-Time Unemployment Claims Increase for First Time Since March as 1.4M Americans File for Assistance

WASHINGTON, D.C. — For the first time since March, the number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims increased on a week-over-week basis. The U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday morning that more than 1.4 million people filed for assistance during the week ending July 18, an increase of 109,000 from the previous week. It is the first weekly increase in 15 weeks. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones expected an increase of 1.3 million claims. The four-week moving average stood at 1.4 million, a decrease of 16,500 from the previous four-week average.