Initial jobless claims in the US inched down by 5,000 from the previous week to 227,000 in the first reading for February, above market expectations of 222,000, to remain near the eight-week high from the upwardly revised value in the earlier period. Consistently, continuing claims rose by 21,000 to 1,862,000 in January after having dropped to the lowest level since September 2024 halfway through the month. The increase remained attributed to the business disruptions following the series of winter storms across multiple parts of the country, prompting households to apply for unemployment benefits. Initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny as markets measure the impact of the US government shutdown, rose by 47 to 615. source: U.S. Department of Labor

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States decreased to 227 thousand in the week ending February 7 of 2026 from 232 thousand in the previous week. Initial Jobless Claims in the United States averaged 360.67 Thousand from 1967 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 6137.00 Thousand in April of 2020 and a record low of 162.00 Thousand in November of 1968. This page provides the latest reported value for - United States Initial Jobless Claims - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. United States Initial Jobless Claims - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on February of 2026.

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States decreased to 227 thousand in the week ending February 7 of 2026 from 232 thousand in the previous week. Initial Jobless Claims in the United States is expected to be 230.00 Thousand by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the United States Initial Jobless Claims is projected to trend around 240.00 Thousand in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-02-05 01:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Jan/31 231K 209K 212K 214.0K
2026-02-12 01:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Feb/07 227K 232K 222K 225.0K
2026-02-19 01:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Feb/14 227K 225K 229.0K


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Continuing Jobless Claims - Federal Workers 13025.00 12565.00 People Jan 2026
Continuing Jobless Claims 1862.00 1841.00 Thousand Jan 2026
Initial Jobless Claims 227.00 232.00 Thousand Feb 2026
Initial Jobless Claims - Federal Workers 615.00 568.00 People Jan 2026
Jobless Claims 4-week Average 219.50 212.50 Thousand Feb 2026
Labour Costs 121.64 122.23 points Sep 2025
Productivity 117.97 116.55 points Sep 2025


United States Initial Jobless Claims
Initial jobless claims refer to the number of people who have filed for unemployment benefits with their state's unemployment agency for the first time during a specific reporting period, typically on a weekly basis. .
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
227.00 232.00 6137.00 162.00 1967 - 2026 Thousand Weekly
Volume, SA

News Stream
US Initial Jobless Claims Hold Near 8-Week High
Initial jobless claims in the US inched down by 5,000 from the previous week to 227,000 in the first reading for February, above market expectations of 222,000, to remain near the eight-week high from the upwardly revised value in the earlier period. Consistently, continuing claims rose by 21,000 to 1,862,000 in January after having dropped to the lowest level since September 2024 halfway through the month. The increase remained attributed to the business disruptions following the series of winter storms across multiple parts of the country, prompting households to apply for unemployment benefits. Initial claims filed by federal employees, which have been under scrutiny as markets measure the impact of the US government shutdown, rose by 47 to 615.
2026-02-12
US Initial Jobless Claims Rise More than Expected
Initial jobless claims in the US rose by 22,000 from the previous week to 231,000 on the last week of January, sharply above market expectations of 212,000, to mark the largest magnitude of initial claims in nearly two months. Consistently, continuing claims rose by 25,000 to 1,844,000 in the previous week after having dropped to the lowest level since September 2024 halfway through the month. The rise in claims was attributed to business disruptions following the series of winter storms across multiple parts of the country, prompting households to apply for unemployment benefits, and maintaining the view that the US labor market remains in a low firing and low hiring trend. Initial unemployment claims from federal employees, which have been under scrutiny as markets measure the impact of the US government shutdown, fell by 230 to 568.
2026-02-05
US Initial Jobless Claims Hold at Tame Level
Initial jobless claims in the US inched lower by 1,000 to 209,000 from the upwardly revised value in the previous week, ahead of the market consensus of 205,000. In the meantime, continuing claims fell by 38,000 to 1,827,000 on the earlier week, firmly below market expectations of 1,860,000, to reflect the softest level of outstanding unemployment since September of 2024. The result extended the trend of a low-firing and low-hiring labor market, stabilizing since the marked softening on the fourth quarter of 2025 and aligned with the outlook of a lower labor demand and lower labor supply outlined by Fed Chair Powell after the Fed's recent rate hold. In the meantime, initial unemployment claims from federal employees, which have been under scrutiny as markets measure the impact of the US government shutdown, fell by 212 to 798.
2026-01-29