First-time applications for jobless benefits remained steady in the face of the on-again, off-again nature of changing U.S. tariff policy.
According to the Labor Department, the number of Americans applying for unemployment aid was unchanged at 229,000 for the week ending May 10. That’s in line with the 230,000 new applications analysts forecast.
Weekly applications for jobless benefits have mostly hovered between 200,000 and 250,000 since the Covid pandemic hit the United States in March 2020.
The four-week average of claims, which softens some of the week-to-week fluctuations, rose by 3,250 to 230,500.
The total number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits for the week of May 3 rose by 9,000 to 1.88 million.
