The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US eased by 4,000 from the four-month high in the previous week to 226,000 in the second week of June, loosely aligned with market expectations of 225,000. Meanwhile, continuing claims, which are seen as a gauge of outstanding unemployment in the US, rose by 24,000 from to 1,810,000 in the first week of June, the highest in nearly three months. Albeit consolidating the departure from the strong levels since the start of the second quarter, the figures remained robust on historical standards, maintaining the trend of low firing and low hiring. 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 56 to 497. source: U.S. Department of Labor

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States decreased to 226 thousand in the week ending June 13 of 2026 from 230 thousand in the previous week. Initial Jobless Claims in the United States averaged 359.81 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 June of 2026.

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States decreased to 226 thousand in the week ending June 13 of 2026 from 230 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
2026-06-11 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Jun/06 229K 225K 219K 219.0K
2026-06-18 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Jun/13 226K 230K 225K 226.0K
2026-06-25 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Jun/20 226K 225K 225.0K


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Continuing Jobless Claims - Federal Workers 6902.00 6563.00 People May 2026
Continuing Jobless Claims 1810.00 1786.00 Thousand Jun 2026
Initial Jobless Claims 226.00 230.00 Thousand Jun 2026
Initial Jobless Claims - Federal Workers 497.00 553.00 People Jun 2026
Jobless Claims 4-week Average 223.25 219.25 Thousand Jun 2026
Labour Costs 123.78 123.22 points Mar 2026
Productivity 119.40 119.35 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
226.00 230.00 6137.00 162.00 1967 - 2026 Thousand Weekly
Volume, SA

News Stream
US Initial Claims Inch Down
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US eased by 4,000 from the four-month high in the previous week to 226,000 in the second week of June, loosely aligned with market expectations of 225,000. Meanwhile, continuing claims, which are seen as a gauge of outstanding unemployment in the US, rose by 24,000 from to 1,810,000 in the first week of June, the highest in nearly three months. Albeit consolidating the departure from the strong levels since the start of the second quarter, the figures remained robust on historical standards, maintaining the trend of low firing and low hiring. 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 56 to 497.
2026-06-18
US Initial Jobless Claims Rise to 3-Month High
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US rose by 4,000 to a three-month high of 229,000 in the first week of June, firmly above market expectations of a decrease to 219,000. Meanwhile, continuing claims, which are seen as a gauge of outstanding unemployment in the US, rose to 24,000 to 1,795,000, slightly above expectations of 1,780,000. While marking a momentary departure from the low figures from early May, the data continued to reflect a relatively strong labor market in historical standards, extending the period of a low-firing labor backdrop. 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 89 to 553.
2026-06-11
US Initial Jobless Claims Rise to 3-Month High
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US rose by 13,000 to 225,000 in the last week of May, above market expectations of 212,000. It was the highest initial claim count since the first week of February. Still, continuing jobless claims, which are seen as a gauge of outstanding unemployment in the US, eased by 8,000 in the earlier week to 1,777,000. While failing to maintain the low levels of the last quarter, the figure remained within the average of the last two years, extending the period of a low-firing labor backdrop. 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 37 to 464.
2026-06-04