Initial jobless claims in the US fell by 1,000 from the previous week to 213,000 in the first week of March, slightly below expectations of 215,000 and broadly in line with levels seen over the past three weeks. Likewise, continuing jobless claims, which serve as proxy for outstanding unemployment in the US, fell by 21,000 to 1,850,000 in the last week of February. The results contrasted with the weak signals in the latest jobs report by the BLS, consolidating the view of a low hiring but low firing labor market. Initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny as markets measure he impact of government shutdowns, rose by 88 to 617. source: U.S. Department of Labor

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States decreased to 213 thousand in the week ending March 7 of 2026 from 214 thousand in the previous week. Initial Jobless Claims in the United States averaged 360.48 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 March of 2026.

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States decreased to 213 thousand in the week ending March 7 of 2026 from 214 thousand in the previous week. Initial Jobless Claims in the United States is expected to be 230.00 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 240.00 Thousand in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-03-05 01:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Feb/28 213K 213K 215K 215.0K
2026-03-12 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Mar/07 213K 214K 215K 217.0K
2026-03-19 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Mar/14 213K 211K 215.0K


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Continuing Jobless Claims - Federal Workers 12544.00 11982.00 People Feb 2026
Continuing Jobless Claims 1850.00 1871.00 Thousand Feb 2026
Initial Jobless Claims 213.00 214.00 Thousand Mar 2026
Initial Jobless Claims - Federal Workers 617.00 529.00 People Feb 2026
Jobless Claims 4-week Average 212.00 216.00 Thousand Mar 2026
Labour Costs 122.55 121.72 points Dec 2025
Productivity 119.64 118.81 points Dec 2025


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
213.00 214.00 6137.00 162.00 1967 - 2026 Thousand Weekly
Volume, SA

News Stream
US Jobless Claims Stable
Initial jobless claims in the US fell by 1,000 from the previous week to 213,000 in the first week of March, slightly below expectations of 215,000 and broadly in line with levels seen over the past three weeks. Likewise, continuing jobless claims, which serve as proxy for outstanding unemployment in the US, fell by 21,000 to 1,850,000 in the last week of February. The results contrasted with the weak signals in the latest jobs report by the BLS, consolidating the view of a low hiring but low firing labor market. Initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny as markets measure he impact of government shutdowns, rose by 88 to 617.
2026-03-12
US Jobless Claims Hold Unchanged
Initial jobless claims in the US were unchanged from the previous week at 213,000 on the last week of February, slightly under market expectations of 215,000 to remain firmly below averages from the last two years. In turn, continuing jobless claims, which serve s a proxy for outstanding unemployment in the US, rose by 46,000 in the earlier week to 1,868,000, ahead of market expectations of 1,850,000. The data continued to reflect stability in the US labor market despite amid a low-firing backdrop in combination with slowing hiring. Initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny as markets measure he impact of government shutdowns, fell by 25 to 529.
2026-03-05
US Initial Jobless Claims Rise Less than Expected
Initial jobless claims in the US inched higher by 4,000 from the previous week to 212,000 on the third week of February, below market expectations of 215,000 to remain firmly below averages from the last two years. Consistently, continuing claims, which serve as a proxy for outstanding unemployment in the US, fell by 31,000 to 1,833,000 in the previous week, among the lowest readings in the last 10 months. The data continued to reflect stability in the US labor market despite amid a low-firing backdrop in combination with slowing hiring. Initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny as markets measure he impact of government shutdowns, fell by 141 to 554.
2026-02-26