Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits have been much higher than previously reported this year after the government updated its method of adjusting the data for seasonal swings.
Initial unemployment claims were 228,000 in the week ended April 1 and the prior week was revised up by 48,000 to 246,000, Labor Department data showed Thursday. The report included updated seasonal factors going back to 2018.
The level indicates a softer, but still strong labor market. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 200,000 applications.
