US Initial Jobless Claims Lowest Since 1969

Initial Jobless Claims sank by 26,000 from the previous week to 189,000 on the period ending April 25th, well below market expectations of 215,000, to mark the lowest since 1969. Meanwhile, continuing claims, which are seen as a proxy for outstanding unemployment in the US, fell by 23,000 to 1,785,000 on the previous week, the lowest in two years. New filings remained low despite announcements of job cuts by large companies such as Meta and Nike. The data consolidated recent signals of a robust labor market in the US despite momentary signs of stress earlier in the year.

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.