US Jobless Claims Inch Higher as Expected

The number of people claiming for unemployment benefits in the US rose by 6,000 to 214,000 on the week ending April 18th, not too far from median market expectations of 212,000. In the meantime, continuing unemployment claims, which are seen as a proxy for outstanding unemployment in the US, inched higher by 12,000 to 1,821,000 in the earlier week. Both counts were firmly below the average from the previous year, consolidating the ongoing trend of low firing activity that is repeatedly stated by the Federal Reserve. Initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny as markets measure the impact of government shutdowns, fell by 60 to 452.

The number of people claiming for unemployment benefits in the US fell to 207K in the week ended April 11th 2026 from a downwardly revised 218K in the previous week which was the highest value since early February. The figure came in below forecasts of 215K, marking the largest weekly decline since February and signaling that layoffs remain limited, as both the labour market and the broader economy continue to demonstrate resilience. The 4-week moving average which excludes week-to-week volatility was 209,750, an increase of 500 from the previous week's revised average of 209.25K. Meanwhile, continuing claims which are seen as a proxy for the number of people receiving unemployment benefits, went up to 1818K in the week ended April 4th, an increase of 31K from the previous week's revised level.

Initial jobless claims in the US rose by 16,000 from the previous week to 219,000 on the period ending April 4th, ahead of market expectations of 212,000 to mark the largest initial claim count in one month. Still, the number remained firmly below the averages from the second half of the previous year. Likewise, continuing claims, which are a proxy for outstanding unemployment in the country, dropped by 38,000 to 1,794,000, the lowest in nearly two years. The latest release continued to reflect a robust labor market with low firing and low net firing holding against signals of a softer pace of labor force growth.