The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US rose by 5,000 to 215,000 on the third week of May, slightly above market expectations that it would rise by 1,000. In the meantime, continuing jobless claims rose by 15,000 to 1,786,000 on the second week of May, in line with expectations of 1,780,000. Despite the slight increases, the claim counts remained firmly below averages from the previous year and extended the period of stability since the declines in initial claims in the last months, maintaining the backdrop of a robust labor market and adding leeway for the Fed to remain restrictive. Meanwhile, initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny due to government shutdowns that have delayed unemployment insurance filing, were relatively unchanged at 427. source: U.S. Department of Labor

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States increased to 215 thousand in the week ending May 23 of 2026 from 210 thousand in the previous week. Initial Jobless Claims in the United States averaged 359.94 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 May of 2026.

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States increased to 215 thousand in the week ending May 23 of 2026 from 210 thousand in the previous week. Initial Jobless Claims in the United States is expected to be 220.00 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
2026-05-21 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
May/16 209K 212K 210K 210.0K
2026-05-28 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
May/23 215K 210K 211K 215.0K
2026-06-04 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
May/30 215K 211K 216.0K


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Continuing Jobless Claims - Federal Workers 7304.00 7710.00 People May 2026
Continuing Jobless Claims 1786.00 1771.00 Thousand May 2026
Initial Jobless Claims 215.00 210.00 Thousand May 2026
Initial Jobless Claims - Federal Workers 427.00 424.00 People May 2026
Jobless Claims 4-week Average 209.00 202.75 Thousand May 2026
Labour Costs 122.55 121.72 points Dec 2025
Productivity 119.58 119.35 points Mar 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
215.00 210.00 6137.00 162.00 1967 - 2026 Thousand Weekly
Volume, SA

News Stream
US Initial Unemployment Claims Inch Higher
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US rose by 5,000 to 215,000 on the third week of May, slightly above market expectations that it would rise by 1,000. In the meantime, continuing jobless claims rose by 15,000 to 1,786,000 on the second week of May, in line with expectations of 1,780,000. Despite the slight increases, the claim counts remained firmly below averages from the previous year and extended the period of stability since the declines in initial claims in the last months, maintaining the backdrop of a robust labor market and adding leeway for the Fed to remain restrictive. Meanwhile, initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny due to government shutdowns that have delayed unemployment insurance filing, were relatively unchanged at 427.
2026-05-28
US Initial Jobless Claims Inch Down
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US fell by 3,000 to 209,000 on the second week of May, aligned with market expectations of 210,000. In the meantime, continuing jobless claims, which are a proxy for outstanding unemployment, rose by 6,000 to 1,782,000, slightly under the expectations of 1,790,000. The results extended the period of stability since the declines in initial claims earlier this year, maintain the backdrop of a robust labor market and adding leeway for the Fed to remain restrictive. Meanwhile, initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny due to government shutdowns that have delayed unemployment insurance filing, rose by 32 to 424.
2026-05-21
US Initial Jobless Claims Above Forecasts
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US rose by 12,000 from the previous week to 211,000 on the first week of May, above market expectations of 205,000. Continuing jobless claims, which are a proxy for outstanding unemployment in the US, rose by 24,000 to 1,782,000, slightly under the expectations of 1,790,000. Despite the increases, the claim counts remained well under their respective averages from the previous year, aligning with other data that reflect a robust labor market and low levels of job cuts. Meanwhile, initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny due to government shutdowns that have delayed unemployment insurance filing, fell by 46 claims to 392.
2026-05-14