Americans Filing Jobless Claims at Highest Level in 8 Months

Veterans, the formerly incarcerated, and job seekers wanting to change professions, were invited to attend the 2022 Mississippi Re-Entry Job Fair in Jackson, Miss., on June 22, 2022. Rogelio V. Solis/AP Photo

WASHINGTON—The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week rose to the highest level in more than eight months in what may be a sign that the labor market is weakening.

Applications for jobless aid for the week ending July 16 rose by 7,000 to 251,000, up from the previous week’s 244,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s the most since Nov. 13, 2021, when 265,000 Americans applied for benefits.