The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US fell by 5,000 to 207,000 in the week ending April 20th, the lowest in two months, and below market expectations of 214,000. This unexpected downturn provides more support for the notion of a tight labor market, adding leeway for the Federal Reserve to delay interest rate cuts to tackle stubborn inflation. The four-week-moving average, which reduces week-to-week volatility, declined by 1,250 to 213,250. In the meantime, the non-seasonally adjusted claim count eased by 7,363 to 201,619, as declines in New York (-4,174) and Pennsylvania (-2,796) offset increases in Massachusetts (3,565) and Rhode Island (1,719). source: U.S. Department of Labor

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States decreased to 207 thousand in the week ending April 20 of 2024 from 212 thousand in the previous week. Initial Jobless Claims in the United States averaged 364.90 Thousand from 1967 until 2024, 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 May of 2024.

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States decreased to 207 thousand in the week ending April 20 of 2024 from 212 thousand in the previous week. Initial Jobless Claims in the United States is expected to be 260.00 Thousand by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2024-04-18 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Apr/13 212K 212K 215K 212.0K
2024-04-25 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Apr/20 207K 212K 214K 213.0K
2024-05-02 12:30 PM
Initial Jobless Claims
Apr/27 207K 212K 207K


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Continuing Jobless Claims 1781.00 1796.00 Thousand Apr 2024
Initial Jobless Claims 207.00 212.00 Thousand Apr 2024
Jobless Claims 4-week Average 213.25 214.50 Thousand Apr 2024
Labour Costs 119.99 119.88 points Dec 2023
Productivity 112.09 111.21 points Dec 2023

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
207.00 212.00 6137.00 162.00 1967 - 2024 Thousand Weekly
Volume, SA


News Stream
US Jobless Claims Lowest in 2-Months
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US fell by 5,000 to 207,000 in the week ending April 20th, the lowest in two months, and below market expectations of 214,000. This unexpected downturn provides more support for the notion of a tight labor market, adding leeway for the Federal Reserve to delay interest rate cuts to tackle stubborn inflation. The four-week-moving average, which reduces week-to-week volatility, declined by 1,250 to 213,250. In the meantime, the non-seasonally adjusted claim count eased by 7,363 to 201,619, as declines in New York (-4,174) and Pennsylvania (-2,796) offset increases in Massachusetts (3,565) and Rhode Island (1,719).
2024-04-25
US Initial Unemployment Claims Unexpectedly Hold
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US was unchanged from the prior week at 212,000 for the period ending April 13th, below market expectations of 215,000. Additionally, continuing claims were loosely unchanged at 1,812,000 at the start of the month, below market expectations of 1,818,000, to show that the unemployed are finding jobs at a healthy pace when compared to historical standards. The results were in line with a batch of recent data pointing to a tight labor market, adding leeway for the Federal Reserve to delay interest rate cuts to tackle stubborn inflation. The four-week-moving average, which reduces week-to-week volatility, was also unchanged at 214,500. In the meantime, non-seasonally adjusted claims fell by 6,576 to 208,509, with notable declines in New Jersey (-4,551), Wisconsin (-1,798), and Pennsylvania (-1,647).
2024-04-18
US Initial Jobless Claims Fall More than Expected
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the US fell by 11,000 to 211,000 in the week ending April 6th, the lowest in one month, and below market expectations of 215,000. The decline countered the increase brought by the upwardly revised, two-month high in the earlier week to add further evidence of a tight labor market in the US economy, in line with the strength in the latest jobs report, to add leeway for the Fed to hold rates higher for longer to combat inflation. The four-week-moving average, which reduces week-to-week volatility, eased by 250 to 214,250. In the meantime, non-seasonally adjusted rose by 17,037 to 214,386, as increases in New Jersey (4,190) and New York (2,612) offset a sharp decline in Iowa (-1,339).
2024-04-11