The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US fell by 4,000 to 203,000 on the third week of August, below market expectations that they would rise to 208,000, holding the trend of low claim counts since dropping to the near 60-year low of 189,000 in the middle of July. Meanwhile, continuing claims, a gauge of outstanding unemployment in the US, fell by 18,000 to 1,778,000 in the earlier period, also below expectations. The data extended the period of resilience in the US labor market despite the unexpected contraction in payrolls per the latest BLS data, aligned with the view from some FOMC members that the US is in full employment. Meanwhile, initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny due the administration's efforts in decreasing the number of public workers, fell by 59 to 390, the lowest since December 2024. source: U.S. Department of Labor

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States decreased to 203 thousand in the week ending August 22 of 2026 from 207 thousand in the previous week. Initial Jobless Claims in the United States averaged 359.32 Thousand from 1967 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 6137.00 Thousand in April of 2020 and a record low of 162.00 Thousand in November of 1968. This page provides the latest reported value for - United States Initial Jobless Claims - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. United States Initial Jobless Claims - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on August of 2026.

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States decreased to 203 thousand in the week ending August 22 of 2026 from 207 thousand in the previous week. Initial Jobless Claims in the United States is expected to be 227.00 Thousand by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the United States Initial Jobless Claims is projected to trend around 235.00 Thousand in 2027 and 240.00 Thousand in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-08-20 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Aug/15 206K 212K 210K 201.0K
2026-08-27 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Aug/22 203K 207K 208K 210.0K
2026-09-03 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Aug/29 203K 203.0K


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Continuing Jobless Claims - Federal Workers 5893.00 6015.00 People Aug 2026
Continuing Jobless Claims 1778.00 1796.00 Thousand Aug 2026
Initial Jobless Claims 203.00 207.00 Thousand Aug 2026
Initial Jobless Claims - Federal Workers 390.00 449.00 People Aug 2026
Jobless Claims 4-week Average 205.50 204.25 Thousand Aug 2026
Labour Costs 123.78 123.22 points Mar 2026
Productivity 120.02 119.59 points Jun 2026


United States Initial Jobless Claims
Initial jobless claims refer to the number of people who have filed for unemployment benefits with their state's unemployment agency for the first time during a specific reporting period, typically on a weekly basis. .
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
203.00 207.00 6137.00 162.00 1967 - 2026 Thousand Weekly
Volume, SA

News Stream
US Initial Jobless Claims Fall for 2nd Week
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US fell by 4,000 to 203,000 on the third week of August, below market expectations that they would rise to 208,000, holding the trend of low claim counts since dropping to the near 60-year low of 189,000 in the middle of July. Meanwhile, continuing claims, a gauge of outstanding unemployment in the US, fell by 18,000 to 1,778,000 in the earlier period, also below expectations. The data extended the period of resilience in the US labor market despite the unexpected contraction in payrolls per the latest BLS data, aligned with the view from some FOMC members that the US is in full employment. Meanwhile, initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny due the administration's efforts in decreasing the number of public workers, fell by 59 to 390, the lowest since December 2024.
2026-08-27
US Initial Jobless Claims Fall More Than Expected
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US fell by 6,000 to 206,000 on the second week of August, below market expectations of 210,000. The result maintained the streak of low initial claim counts since reaching the near 60-year low of 189,000 in the middle of July. Meanwhile, continuing claims, a gauge of outstanding unemployment in the US, rose by 18,000 to 1,799,000 in the previous week. The data extended the period of resilience in the US labor market despite the unexpected contraction in payrolls per the latest BLS data, aligned with the view from some FOMC members that the US is in full employment. Meanwhile, initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny due the administration's efforts in decreasing the number of public workers, rose by 48 to 449.
2026-08-20
US Initial Jobless Claims Rise More than Expected
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US rose by 9,000 to 209,000 on the first week of August, above market expectations of 202,000. Continuing claims, which are seen as a gauge of outstanding unemployment in the US, declined by 22,000 to 1,777,000 in the earlier week. The data pointed to some resilience in the US labor market despite weaker signals from the latest BLS jobs report, broadly aligning with statements from FOMC members that see the US economy in full employment. Meanwhile, initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny due the administration's efforts in decreasing the number of public workers, fell by 49 to 401.
2026-08-13