Initial jobless claims in the US fell by 9,000 from the previous week to 202,000 in the fourth week of March, well below the median market estimate of 212,000. It nearly tied the two-year low of 201,000 in the first week of January, which is subject to volatile readings due to the holidays, to consolidate the low firing trend in the labor market that has prevented the Federal Reserve from extending its cutting cycle this year. Meanwhile, continuing jobless claims, which serve as proxy for outstanding unemployment in the US, edged higher by 25,000 to 1,841,000 in the third week of March, but remained below the average from the second half of last year. source: U.S. Department of Labor

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States decreased to 202 thousand in the week ending March 28 of 2026 from 211 thousand in the previous week. Initial Jobless Claims in the United States averaged 360.33 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 April of 2026.

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States decreased to 202 thousand in the week ending March 28 of 2026 from 211 thousand in the previous week. Initial Jobless Claims in the United States is expected to be 240.00 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
2026-03-26 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Mar/21 210K 205K 210K 209.0K
2026-04-02 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Mar/28 202K 211K 212K 213.0K
2026-04-09 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Apr/04 202K 209K 215.0K


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Continuing Jobless Claims - Federal Workers 11080.00 11886.00 People Mar 2026
Continuing Jobless Claims 1841.00 1816.00 Thousand Mar 2026
Initial Jobless Claims 202.00 211.00 Thousand Mar 2026
Initial Jobless Claims - Federal Workers 622.00 584.00 People Mar 2026
Jobless Claims 4-week Average 207.75 210.75 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
202.00 211.00 6137.00 162.00 1967 - 2026 Thousand Weekly
Volume, SA

News Stream
US Initial Jobless Claims Test 2-Year Low
Initial jobless claims in the US fell by 9,000 from the previous week to 202,000 in the fourth week of March, well below the median market estimate of 212,000. It nearly tied the two-year low of 201,000 in the first week of January, which is subject to volatile readings due to the holidays, to consolidate the low firing trend in the labor market that has prevented the Federal Reserve from extending its cutting cycle this year. Meanwhile, continuing jobless claims, which serve as proxy for outstanding unemployment in the US, edged higher by 25,000 to 1,841,000 in the third week of March, but remained below the average from the second half of last year. Initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny as markets measure the impact of government shutdowns, rose by 38 to 622.
2026-04-02
US Initial Claims Remain at Muted Levels
Initial jobless claims in the US rose by 5,000 from the previous month to 210,000 on the third week of March, aligned with the median market expectations but remaining below the average from the previous year. Meanwhile, continuing jobless claims, which serve as proxy for outstanding unemployment in the US, fell by 32,000 to 1,819,000 in the earlier week, well below expectations of 1,850,000 to tie for the lowest since May of 2024. The results continued to contrast with the weak signals in the February jobs report by the BLS, with a low hiring pace matching a slower hiring pace that has been impacted by lower immigration, according to the Federal Reserve. Initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny as markets measure he impact of government shutdowns, fell by 59 to 584.
2026-03-26
US Initial Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Fall
Initial jobless claims in the US fell by 8,000 from the previous week to 205,000 in the second week of March, firmly below expectations of a 2,000 increase. Likewise, continuing jobless claims, which serve as proxy for outstanding unemployment in the US, rose only slightly to 1,857,000 in the previous week to remain their pullback since November of last year. The results contrasted with the weak signals in the latest jobs report by the BLS, consolidating the view of a 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 26 to 643.
2026-03-19