State unemployment applications increased for the first time in a month, primarily in a few midwestern states, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday (Feb. 17).
Figures release by the department show unemployment claims rose by 23,000 to 248,000 for the ending Feb 12, with most of the claims coming from increases in the states of Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio.
The Labor Department said continuing claims for state benefits dropped to 1.59 million in the week ending Feb. 5., while initial claims — on an unadjusted basis — rose to 238,482 last week.
As Bloomberg notes, the week in question is scrutinized because it is the reference week for the February jobs, due in early March. The report also argues the rise could be a temporary blip after weeks of dropping unemployment, as hiring is expected to pick up as COVID restrictions lift.
Read more: Employers Add 467K Jobs Despite Omicron’s Shadow
The last jobs report, released earlier this month by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, came as something of a surprise to analysts and economists who had expected bleak news. That report found that employment rose by 467,000 in January, and the unemployment rate was largely the same at 4.0%.
Advertisement: Scroll to Continue
Employment continued rising in the leisure and hospitality sectors, in professional and business services, in retail trade, and in transportation and warehousing, the department said.
In addition, employment in leisure and hospitality expanded by 151,000 in January, with food services and drinking places adding 108,000 jobs, along with 23,000 jobs being added in the accommodations industry.
See also: New Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Climb to 230,000
Last month saw another unexpected climb in unemployment, when initial unemployment claims for the week ending Jan. 8 unexpectedly rose to 230,000, the most since the middle of November but still lower than pandemic averages.
