US Initial Claims Remain at Muted Levels

2026-03-26 12:37 By Andre Joaquim 1 min. read

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.



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