The weekly count of Americans filing initial claims for unemployment benefits jumped to its highest level in more than a year, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) reported Thursday.

For the week ending October 5, the advance figure for seasonally-adjusted initial jobless claims was 258,000, an increase of 33,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 225,000, according to the latest DOL report:

“This is the highest level for initial claims since August 5, 2023 when it was 258,000. The 4-week moving average was 231,000, an increase of 6,750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 224,250.”

Last week’s initial jobless claims came in about thirty thousand higher than analysts had expected.

The September report is the latest sign that the job market is weakening, as the Associated Press noted Thursday:

“The total number of Americans collecting jobless benefits rose by 42,000 to about 1.86 million for the week of Sept. 28, the most since late July.

“In August, the Labor Department reported that the U.S. economy added 818,000 fewer jobs from April 2023 through March this year than were originally reported. The revised total was also considered evidence that the job market has been slowing steadily, compelling the Fed to start cutting interest rates.”