Jobless claims · United States
United States Initial Jobless Claims
The United States Initial Jobless Claims counts the people in the United States who filed for unemployment benefits in the week (initial claims) or who keep receiving them (continuing claims).
- Importance
- Medium
- Released
- Weekly
- Next release
- Currency
- USD · US dollar
- Central bank
- The Federal Reserve
Latest figures
The latest release for OCT/24, published on 29 October 2026, came in at 194K, below the consensus of 199K, down from 195K the time before (revised).
Fewer claims than expected point to a solid labour market and tend to support the US dollar.
Over the last 12 releases it ranged from 194K to 209K, averaging 200K.
| Released | For | Actual | Consensus | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Oct 2026 | OCT/24 | 194K | 199K | 195K ® |
| 22 Oct 2026 | OCT/17 | 194K | 200K | 200K ® |
| 15 Oct 2026 | OCT/10 | 199K | 200K | 198K ® |
| 8 Oct 2026 | OCT/03 | 197K | 200K | 199K ® |
| 1 Oct 2026 | SEP/26 | 197K | 200K | 198K ® |
| 24 Sep 2026 | SEP/19 | 197K | 201K | 198K ® |
| 17 Sep 2026 | SEP/12 | 196K | 208K | 206K |
| 10 Sep 2026 | SEP/05 | 206K | 205K | 207K ® |
| 3 Sep 2026 | AUG/29 | 206K | 205K | 204K ® |
| 27 Aug 2026 | AUG/22 | 203K | 208K | 207K ® |
| 20 Aug 2026 | AUG/15 | 206K | 210K | 212K ® |
| 13 Aug 2026 | AUG/08 | 209K | 202K | 200K ® |
Why it matters
It is the most timely labour-market indicator, published every week: a sustained rise in initial claims is one of the earliest signs of layoffs spreading through the economy.
How it is calculated
State unemployment offices report the claims filed; the national figure is seasonally adjusted. The four-week average smooths holiday and weather effects.
What changes mean
- One week means little; watch the four-week average and the trend.
- Continuing claims rising while initial claims are steady means the unemployed take longer to find work.
Higher than expected: More claims than expected signal rising layoffs: the US dollar tends to soften and bond yields to fall.
Lower than expected: Fewer claims than expected point to a solid labour market and tend to support the US dollar.
A short history
The US Department of Labor has published weekly claims since 1967.
Questions
What is the United States Initial Jobless Claims?
The United States Initial Jobless Claims counts the people in the United States who filed for unemployment benefits in the week (initial claims) or who keep receiving them (continuing claims).
What was the latest United States Initial Jobless Claims?
194K for OCT/24, published on 29 October 2026 (consensus 199K, previous 195K).
When is the next United States Initial Jobless Claims?
On Thursday 5 November 2026 at 13:30 UTC.
Educational content only, not investment advice. Figures are the published results as recorded by our calendar; market reactions described are typical, not guaranteed.