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. source: U.S. Department of Labor

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States increased to 210 thousand in the week ending March 21 of 2026 from 205 thousand in the previous week. Initial Jobless Claims in the United States averaged 360.39 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 increased to 210 thousand in the week ending March 21 of 2026 from 205 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
2026-03-19 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Mar/14 205K 213K 215K 215.0K
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 210K 213.0K


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Continuing Jobless Claims - Federal Workers 11886.00 11709.00 People Mar 2026
Continuing Jobless Claims 1819.00 1851.00 Thousand Mar 2026
Initial Jobless Claims 210.00 205.00 Thousand Mar 2026
Initial Jobless Claims - Federal Workers 584.00 643.00 People Mar 2026
Jobless Claims 4-week Average 210.50 210.75 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
210.00 205.00 6137.00 162.00 1967 - 2026 Thousand Weekly
Volume, SA

News Stream
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
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