美國至8月16日當周初請失業金人數23.5萬人，預期22.5萬人，前值22.4萬人。美國上週初請失業救濟人數錄得近三個月來最大增幅，顯示裁員可能正在增加，進一步加劇勞動力市場走弱的跡象。勞工部週四表示，截至8月16日當周，失業救濟初請人數經季調後增加1.1萬至23.5萬，這是自5月底以來最大增幅。 

U.S. initial jobless claims for the week ending August 16th came in at 235,000, compared with an expected 225,000 and a previous figure of 224,000. The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits last week recorded the largest increase in nearly three months, indicating that layoffs may be on the rise and further exacerbating signs of a weakening labor market. The Labor Department stated on Thursday that for the week ending August 16th, seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims rose by 11,000 to 235,000, marking the largest increase since late May.