US Continuing Claims Highest Since 2021

2025-11-20 14:02 By Anna Fedec 1 min. read

Continuing Jobless Claims in the United States increased to 1974 thousand in the week ending November 8 of 2025, hitting the highest level since 2021, and reflecting a slowdown in hiring activity.

Meanwhile, initial jobless claims fell by 8,000 from the previous week to 220,000 on the period ending November 15th, remaining well below the averages since the end of the second quarter.

The surge in outstanding claims along with steady initial-claim growth reflected lower hiring activity instead of increased job cuts.

Outstanding unemployment claims for Federal workers were at 38,867 on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, reflecting a 400% increase from levels comparable to before the shutdown of the Federal government in October.



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