Initial jobless claims in the US rose by 6,000 from the previous week to 223,000 in the period ending January 18th, slightly ahead of market expectations of 220,000, to mark the sharpest rise in six weeks. In turn, the outstanding claim count rose by 46,000 to 1,899,000 in the earlier period, the most since November of 2021, to suggest that those without jobs are taking a longer time to find suitable employment, and pointing to a greater impact of restrictive interest rates by the Fed on the US labor market. The four-week moving average for initial claims, which reduce weekly volatility, rose by 750 to 213,500. In turn, the non-seasonally adjusted claim count sank by 68,135 to 284,222. source: U.S. Department of Labor

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States increased to 223 thousand in the week ending January 18 of 2025 from 217 thousand in the previous week. Initial Jobless Claims in the United States averaged 363.12 Thousand from 1967 until 2025, 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 January of 2025.

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States increased to 223 thousand in the week ending January 18 of 2025 from 217 thousand in the previous week. Initial Jobless Claims in the United States is expected to be 250.00 Thousand by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations.




Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2025-01-16 01:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Jan/11 217K 203K 210K 209.0K
2025-01-23 01:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Jan/18 223K 217K 220K 219K
2025-01-30 01:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Jan/25 223K 225K 228.0K


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Continuing Jobless Claims 1899.00 1853.00 Thousand Jan 2025
Initial Jobless Claims 223.00 217.00 Thousand Jan 2025
Jobless Claims 4-week Average 213.50 212.75 Thousand Jan 2025
Labour Costs 121.98 121.40 points Sep 2024
Productivity 114.48 113.85 points Sep 2024

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
223.00 217.00 6137.00 162.00 1967 - 2025 Thousand Weekly
Volume, SA


News Stream
Recurring Jobless Claims Rise to Over 3-Year High
Initial jobless claims in the US rose by 6,000 from the previous week to 223,000 in the period ending January 18th, slightly ahead of market expectations of 220,000, to mark the sharpest rise in six weeks. In turn, the outstanding claim count rose by 46,000 to 1,899,000 in the earlier period, the most since November of 2021, to suggest that those without jobs are taking a longer time to find suitable employment, and pointing to a greater impact of restrictive interest rates by the Fed on the US labor market. The four-week moving average for initial claims, which reduce weekly volatility, rose by 750 to 213,500. In turn, the non-seasonally adjusted claim count sank by 68,135 to 284,222.
2025-01-23
US Initial Jobless Claims Rebound More than Expected
Initial jobless claims in the US rose by 14,000 from the previous week to 217,000 in the period ending January 11th, 2024, firmly above market expectations of 210,000 to mark a sharp bounce from the upwardly revised, 11-month low touched in the first week of January. Despite the sharper increase, weekly claim counts remained below averages from the second half of 2024, pointing to the continuation of a relatively strong labor market in the US that has allowed the FOMC to increase its hawkish rhetoric. In turn, outstanding claims unexpectedly fell to 1,859,000 in the period ending January 4th, extending its pullback from the peak of 1,908,000 from early November. The four-week moving average for initial claims, which reduces week-to-week volatility, fell by 750 to 212,750. The non-seasonally adjusted claim coin rose by 45,228 to 351,885, with sharp increases in California (13,074), Michigan (15,175), and Texas (10,677).
2025-01-16
US Initial Jobless Claims Fall to 11-Month Low
Initial jobless claims in the US decreased by 10,000 from the previous week to 201,000 in the week ending January 4, the lowest in eleven months and contrasting with the expected increase to 218,000. The 4-week moving average was 213,000, a decrease of 10,250 from the earlier period. In the previous week, outstanding unemployment claims rose by 23,000 to 1,867,000, below expectations of 1,870,000.
2025-01-08