National

topics

politics-policy

epstein-files

donald-trump

2026-midterm-elections

immigration

behind-the-curtain

race-and-equity

technology

privacy-tech-regulation

automation-and-ai

tiktok-news

big-tech

social-media

cybersecurity

economy

social-security

inflation

tariffs

federal-reserve

jobs

transportation

business

stock-market-news

retail-news

crypto

media

elon-musk

dealmaking

health

rfk-jr

drug-prices

axios-explains-abortion

public-health

world

israel

axios-explains-ukraine

iran

russia

china

energy-climate

nuclear-energy

climate-energy-policy

climate-change

extreme-weather

alternative-energy

electric-vehicles

science

emerging-tech

biomedicine

newsletters

pittsburgh

atlanta

san-diego

charlotte

boulder

washington-dc

kansas-city

dallas

denver

detroit

des-moines

austin

boston

chicago

cleveland

columbus

houston

indianapolis

miami

nashville

new-orleans

nw-arkansas

philadelphia

phoenix

portland

richmond

salt-lake-city

san-antonio

san-francisco

seattle

tampa-bay

twin-cities

raleigh

huntsville

colorado-springs

axios-local

axios-pro

axios-live

the-axios-show

About 853,000 Americans filed initial claims for unemployment insurance‌ last‌ week, up from 716,000 the week before and 123,000 more than economists had projected.

Why it matters: It's the highest number of new jobless claims since Sept. 19, per AP, and an indicator that labor market is heading in the wrong direction.

As of Nov. 21, more than 19 million Americans were still dependent on some type of unemployment aid.

The worrying trend comes as Congress remains deadlocked on stimulus negotiations.

Go deeper: The recovery needs rocket fuel

Weekly jobless claims surge to 853,000, highest since September

Economists had expected about 730,000 new claims.

Photo: OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images

Business

Unemployment

Jobs

About 853,000 Americans <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="filed initial claims" data-vars-click-url="https://www.dol.gov/ui/data.pdf" data-vars-content-id="607284b4-826f-49de-a31e-72b1445e35bf" data-vars-headline="Weekly jobless claims surge to 853,000, highest since September" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.dol.gov/ui/data.pdf" target="_blank">filed initial claims</a> for unemployment insurance‌ last‌ week, up from 716,000 the week before and 123,000 more than economists had projected.Why it matters: It&#x27;s the highest number of new jobless claims since Sept. 19, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="per AP" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/article/jobless-claims-health-coronavirus-pandemic-us-news-economy-5214bdf6b0eb8e81bb0517d02dff305c" data-vars-content-id="607284b4-826f-49de-a31e-72b1445e35bf" data-vars-headline="Weekly jobless claims surge to 853,000, highest since September" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/article/jobless-claims-health-coronavirus-pandemic-us-news-economy-5214bdf6b0eb8e81bb0517d02dff305c" target="_blank">per AP</a>, and an indicator that labor market is heading in the wrong direction.

Top stories & latest news on the Federal Reserve, real-time data, plus the biggest shifts happening in the U.S. and global economy.

Economy

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

Weekly jobless claims surge to 853,000, highest since September

What to read next