Overview

• Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell by 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 236,000 for the week ending June 21, the Labor Department reported.
• The four-week moving average of claims declined 750 to 245,000, reflecting a modest easing of weekly volatility.
• Continuing claims increased by 37,000 to 1.974 million for the week ending June 14, the highest level since November 2021.
• Economists project the unemployment rate will rise to 4.3 percent in June from 4.2 percent in May given the uptick in ongoing benefit recipients.
• Employers have added an average of 124,000 jobs per month in 2025, down from 168,000 last year, and recent college graduates now face the widest unemployment gap in over 30 years.