US Initial Jobless Claims Remain Low

2026-09-03 12:36 By Andre Joaquim 1 min. read

The number of people claiming unemployment benefits inched up by 2,000 to 206,000 on the fourth week of August, loosely aligned with market expectations of 205,000 to hold the trend of low claim counts since dropping to the near 60-year low of 189,000 in the middle of July.

Continuing claims, a gauge of outstanding unemployment in the US, rose by 8,000 to 1,779,000 in the earlier period.

The data extended the period of resilience in the US labor market despite the unexpected contraction in payrolls per the latest BLS data, aligned with the view from some FOMC members that the US is in full employment.

Meanwhile, initial claims filed by federal employees, which have added spotlight on the administration's signal to shrink the of public sector, fell by 53 to 337.



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