US jobless claims totaled 232,000 in week ended Oct. 18

Initial applications for US jobless benefits totaled 232,000 in the week ended Oct. 18, according to the Labor Department website showing historical data for claims.

Continuing claims, a proxy for the number of people receiving benefits, came in at 1.957 million, up slightly from 1.947 million in the prior week. For initial claims, weekly data for the previous three weeks weren't made available.

A spokesperson for the Labor Department said a technical issue caused the early posting of some data, adding the complete series will be available by close of business on Thursday.

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The department did not release its weekly jobless claims report during the government shutdown, which ended last week, but it has published data on its website through other channels. 

Unadjusted state-level claims data were available for download throughout the shutdown. Economists have used those state figures along with pre-released seasonal adjustment factors to estimate weekly claims.

The seasonally-adjusted initial claims figure was accessed through an online database, and the recently posted figure is roughly in line with prior estimates.

The federal government shutdown delayed a number of key economic reports, including the monthly jobs report. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced an exception for the September consumer price index, which was released last month, to allow the Social Security Administration to calculate the annual cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security recipients. The September jobs report, which was originally slated to publish Oct. 3, will now be released Thursday.