04 Jun 2026 15:20 UTC
U.S. Jobless Claims Rose Last Week - WSJ
➤ The upcoming May employment report will provide a more comprehensive view of the labor market's health.
➤ Despite the rise, the level remains within a range generally considered indicative of a healthy labor market.
➤ U.S. jobless claims increased to 225,000 in the week ending May 30, exceeding economists' expectations.
June 4, 2026 8:48 am ET
On Friday, economists will get a better read on the labor market, as the employment report for May will be released .Joe Raedle/Getty Images
• U.S. jobless claims rose to 225,000 in the week through May 30, higher than the 212,000 reported a week earlier.
• Continuing claims were 1.78 million in the week through May 23, down from a revised 1.79 million a week earlier.
• The Labor Department will release the May employment report Friday; ADP reported private companies added 122,000 jobs in May.
This summary was generated with AI and reviewed by an editor. Read more about how we use artificial intelligence in our journalism.
• U.S. jobless claims rose to 225,000 in the week through May 30, higher than the 212,000 reported a week earlier.View more
U.S. jobless claims rose last week, but the level was still within a range consistent with a healthy labor market.
The number of people who filed for unemployment benefits rose to 225,000 in the week through May 30, higher than the 212,000 reported a week earlier, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal were expecting to see 215,000 new claims.
Continuing claims, which scale with the total size of the unemployed population, was 1.78 million in the week through May 23, versus a revised 1.79 million a week earlier. The data on continuing claims lag the initial-claims data by a week.
On Friday, economists will get a better read on the labor market, as the employment report for May will be released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Earlier this week, human-resources firm ADP reported private companies added a net 122,000 jobs in May, a solid gain after the 105,000 roles added in April.
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Jessica Coacci covers the economy and the Federal Reserve for The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires. Previously, she was a reporting fellow at Fortune, where she covered Gen Z labor-market trends and conducted exclusive interviews with CEOs and billionaires. She has also led independent reporting on housing and rent inflation in New York City through her Substack and previously worked as a producer at CNN and CNBC.
Categories rationale: The article focuses on U.S. jobless claims and their implications for the broader labor market, which are key indicators of macroeconomic health and sensitivity to market cycles. The mention of interest rates and potential recessionary impacts is implicit in labor market data.Characteristics justification: The sentiment is slightly negative due to the rise in jobless claims, but tempered by the statement that it's still within a 'healthy' range. There's a moderate level of uncertainty regarding the overall labor market health until the May employment report is released. The data is not particularly novel or stale, and its relevance is moderate as it's a standard economic indicator.Tag relevance: The tags 'jobless claims', 'labor market', 'unemployment benefits', and 'employment report' are central to the article's topic. 'ADP' is relevant as it's mentioned as a precursor to the main report, and 'economic data' is a general descriptor for the information provided.asset-types: others
rwa: false
entropy: 0.15
sentiment: -0.2
staleness: 0.3
relevance: 0.2
uncertainty: 0.4RWATimes slug: wsj-u-s-jobless-claims-rose-last-week-wsj-1007129432