The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits surged last week, partially boosted by Hurricane Helene and furloughs at Boeing amid a nearly four-week-old strike at the U.S.

The number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits surged by 33,000 to 258,000 in the week ended October 5, the Labor Department said Thursday. This is the highest level of initial claims since early August 2023.

New data from the Department of Labor showed 258,000 initial jobless claims were filed in the week ending Oct. 5, up from 225,000 the week prior and above the 230,000 economists had expected. This marked the highest number of weekly unemployment claims since August 2023.