A hiring sign at a store in Norfolk, Va., on Oct. 5, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
The number of Americans filing first-time applications for unemployment benefits stabilized after two weeks of elevated levels, driven by January’s severe winter storm.
Initial jobless claims declined by 23,000 to 206,000 for the week ending Feb. 14, according to new Department of Labor data released on Feb. 19. The previous week’s reading was revised upward to 229,000. Economists had forecast 225,000 claims.
