Recent analysis by Goldman Sachs offers insight into the unemployment landscape amidst the ongoing federal government shutdown. According to the bank’s economists, including Jan Hatzius, initial unemployment claims experienced a slight increase last week, rising from 218,000 in the previous report to approximately 224,000 for the week ending September 27th. This change is attributed to the impact of the shutdown on data reporting by state labor departments. Goldman Sachs adjusted raw data based on seasonal factors released by the Department of Labor. While the Department of Labor’s weekly report was delayed due to the shutdown, they have made some of their state-specific data available for download. Consequently, the September employment report has also been postponed.