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US jobless claims decline as Harvey impact fades in Texas

Washington - Applications for unemployment benefits in the US unexpectedly declined last week as the Hurricane Harvey-related surge in Texas filings continued to reverse, Labour Department figures showed on Thursday.

Highlights of jobless claims (Week ended September 16)

• Jobless claims declined by 23k to 259k (est. 302k).

• Continuing claims increased by 44k to 1.98m in week ended September 9 (data reported with one-week lag).

• Four-week  average of initial claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, rose to 268 750 from 262 750 in prior week 

Key takeaways

Applications for unemployment insurance last week were estimated for South Carolina and the Virgin Islands. While Irma smashed into Florida’s west coast on September 10, its effect on the job market in the Sunshine State was modest - up an unadjusted 5 133 from the previous week -  compared with Harvey’s impact on Texas.

Claims in Texas declined by an unadjusted 23 549 last week.

Swings in the figures may continue for several weeks, following the pattern seen after major storms such as Sandy in the Northeast in 2012. Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico on Wednesday.

The volatility in jobless applications will probably prove temporary as those in storm-affected areas return to work. The Atlantic hurricane season has nonetheless upended a trend that saw dismissals near the lowest level in more than four decades. Subdued filings were a sign employers were averse to firing people amid a shortage of qualified workers.

Other details

• Prior week’s reading was revised to 282 000 from 284 000.

• Unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits held at 1.4%, where it’s been since April Labour said claims in Florida and Puerto Rico were affected by Irma.

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