The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose to 229 thousand in the week ending May 20th, slightly up from an over two-month low of 225 thousand the week before but well below market expectations of 245 thousand. The latest data suggested that the labor market in the United States remains relatively robust and constrained, which could potentially result in upward pressure on wages and present an opportunity for the Federal Reserve to consider additional interest rate hikes as part of its measures to address inflation. The four-week moving average, which removes week-to-week volatility, was unchanged at 231.75 thousand, also below forecasts of 258.97 thousand. On a seasonally unadjusted basis, claims rose by 1.3 thousand from the previous week to 202.0 thousand, as considerable increases observed in Texas and Connecticut were partially offset by declines in Massachusetts and Michigan. source: U.S. Department of Labor

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States averaged 367.26 Thousand from 1967 until 2023, 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 June of 2023.

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States is expected to be 280.00 Thousand by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations.

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United States Initial Jobless Claims



Calendar GMT Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2023-05-18 12:30 PM May/13 242K 264K 254K 270.0K
2023-05-25 12:30 PM May/20 229K 225K 245K 245.0K
2023-06-01 12:30 PM May/27 229K 235K 234.0K


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Initial Jobless Claims 229.00 225.00 Thousand May 2023
Continuing Jobless Claims 1794.00 1799.00 Thousand May 2023
Labour Costs 130.96 128.96 points Mar 2023
Productivity 112.52 113.31 points Mar 2023
Jobless Claims 4-week Average 231.75 231.75 Thousand May 2023
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Claims 0.90 1.55 Thousand Dec 2021

United States Initial Jobless Claims
Initial jobless claims have a big impact in financial markets because unlike continued claims data which measures the number of persons claiming unemployment benefits, Initial jobless claims measures new and emerging unemployment.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
229.00 225.00 6137.00 162.00 1967 - 2023 Thousand Weekly
Volume, SA

News Stream
US Jobless Claims Rise Less Than Expected
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose to 229 thousand in the week ending May 20th, slightly up from an over two-month low of 225 thousand the week before but well below market expectations of 245 thousand. The latest data suggested that the labor market in the United States remains relatively robust and constrained, which could potentially result in upward pressure on wages and present an opportunity for the Federal Reserve to consider additional interest rate hikes as part of its measures to address inflation. The four-week moving average, which removes week-to-week volatility, was unchanged at 231.75 thousand, also below forecasts of 258.97 thousand. On a seasonally unadjusted basis, claims rose by 1.3 thousand from the previous week to 202.0 thousand, as considerable increases observed in Texas and Connecticut were partially offset by declines in Massachusetts and Michigan.
2023-05-25
US Jobless Claims Fall More than Expected
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell to 242 thousand in the week ending May 13th, down from an 18-month high of 264 thousand and below market expectations of 254 thousand. The latest reading indicated the labor market in the United States remains relatively tight, potentially leading to upward pressure on wages and providing the Federal Reserve with an opportunity to implement further interest rate hikes in its efforts to combat inflation. The four-week moving average, which removes week-to-week volatility, was slightly down at 244.25 thousand. On a seasonally unadjusted basis, claims fell by 18.6 thousand from the previous week to 215.8 thousand, with considerable decreases observed in Massachusetts (-14.0 thousand), Missouri (-2.3 thousand), and New Jersey (-1.1 thousand).
2023-05-18
US Unemployment Claims Rise to 18-Month High
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose by 22 thousand to 264 thousand on the week ending May 6th, the most since October 2021, and well above market expectations of 245 thousand. The result emphasized a batch of recent data that points to the softening of the US labor market, caving to a prolonged series of aggressive interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. The four-week moving average, which removes week-to-week volatility, rose by 6,000 to 245,250. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, claims rose by 13,969 to 234,084, with notable increases in Massachusetts (+6,375), California (+2,924), and Missouri (+2,446).
2023-05-11