Initial and Continued Unemployment Claims

Unemployment claims show the number of people who are filing or have filed to receive unemployment insurance benefits, as reported weekly by the U.S. Department of Labor. There are two categories of jobless claims - initial, which comprises people filing for the first time, and continuing, which consists of unemployed people who have been receiving unemployment benefits for a while. They are an important leading indicator on the state of the employment situation and the health of the economy.