US Initial Jobless Claims Plunge to 57-Year Low

2026-07-23 12:42 By Andre Joaquim 1 min. read

The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US fell sank by 22,000 to 187,000 on the week to July 18th, well under expectations that it would increase to 212,000, for the lowest claim count in nearly 60 years.

Continuing claims, which are seen as a gauge of outstanding unemployment in the US, fell by 2,000 to 1,796,000 on the previous week following an aggressive downward revision to the first period of July.

The data continued to reflect a strong labor market in the US, aligned with statements from FOMC members that see the US economy in full employment.

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 46 to 470.



News Stream
US Initial Jobless Claims Plunge to 57-Year Low
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US fell sank by 22,000 to 187,000 on the week to July 18th, well under expectations that it would increase to 212,000, for the lowest claim count in nearly 60 years. Continuing claims, which are seen as a gauge of outstanding unemployment in the US, fell by 2,000 to 1,796,000 on the previous week following an aggressive downward revision to the first period of July. The data continued to reflect a strong labor market in the US, aligned with statements from FOMC members that see the US economy in full employment. 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 46 to 470.
2026-07-23
US Initial Claims Fall to 2-Month Low
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US fell by 8,000 to 208,000 on the week to July 11th, well under expectations that it would increase to 217,000, to mark the lowest initial claim count in over two months. Continuing claims, which are seen as a gauge of outstanding unemployment in the US, fell by 16,000 to 1,805,000 on the week to July 4th, under expectations of 1,820,000. The improvements indicated that the labor market remains robust with low levels of firing, despite pressure from declining labor force growth. 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 20 to 424.
2026-07-16
US Initial Jobless Claims Fall to 6-Week Low
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US fell by 2,000 to 215,000 on the week to July 4th, below expectations that it would rise to 218,000. Meanwhile, continuing claims, which are seen as a gauge of outstanding unemployment in the US, rose by 8,000 to 1,814,000 in the last full week of June, the highest since late March but below expectations of 1,820,000. While the levels remained slightly above those observed in the start of the second quarter, the data continued to support the view of a low-firing labor market. 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 40 to 404.
2026-07-09