US Initial Jobless Claims Rise to 226,000, Slightly Above Forecast

U.S. initial jobless claims edged above market expectations last week.

The Labor Department said on June 18 that initial claims for unemployment benefits totaled 226,000 last week. That was 1,000 above economists’ forecast of 225,000 and 4,000 below the prior week’s revised 230,000.

Continuing claims, which reflect the number of people receiving benefits for a second straight week, totaled 1.81 million. That was up 24,000 from the previous week’s revised 1.786 million and 10,000 above the market forecast of 1.8 million.

Initial jobless claims are a closely watched indicator of conditions in the U.S. labor market. An increase in claims can signal that an overheated labor market is starting to cool.

Economists are closely tracking employment indicators, including jobless claims, to assess how President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff policies are affecting corporate decision-making.