Weekly unemployed claims

The number of Americans who sent unemployment benefit applications fell unexpectedly last week, and pointed to persistent labor market forces that should continue to support the economy.

Initial claims on state-owned services reduced 3,000 to a seasonally-adjusted 213,000 for the week ending January 12, said the Ministry of Labor Thursday. Data for the previous week was unverified.

Economists asked by Reuters had expectations of increasing to 220,000 in the past week. The Ministry of Labor said that only claims to West Virginia were estimated last week.

The four-week moving average of initial claims, considered a better target for labor market trends, as it stretches from week to week, fluctuated 1[ads1],000 to 220,750 last week.

The requirement data covered the investigation period for the non-salary part of the January employment report.

Four-week average of claims fell 2000 between December and January investigation periods. While there will be little change in labor market conditions after the economy has created 312,000 jobs in December, an ongoing partial closure of the federal government increases the risk of a drop in payrolls.

Some 800,000 government workers missed their first paycheck last Friday because of the partial closure, which started on December 22.

The payment period for most federal employees including the week of January 12 runs from January 6 to January 19. About 380,000 workers have become furloughed, while the rest work without pay. Furloughed workers are likely to be considered unemployed.

Private entrepreneurs who work for many authorities are also without pay. The Trump administration has recalled some employees to work without pay to minimize the effects of the closure.

The longest government's closure in history has delayed the release of financial data prepared by the Ministry of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis and Census Bureau, including housing start and construction permit report, scheduled for release on Thursday.