Mucahithan Avcioglu
16 July 2026•Update: 16 July 2026
The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment benefit claims fell more than expected last week, according to Labor Department data released Thursday.
Initial jobless claims decreased by 8,000 to 208,000 in the week ending July 11.
The market expectation was for claims to remain at 216,000.
The previous week’s figure was revised upward by 1,000 to 216,000.
The four-week moving average, which smooths weekly volatility, fell by 4,750 to 214,250.
Continuing claims, a measure of the number of people receiving ongoing unemployment benefits, decreased by 16,000 to 1.805 million in the week ending July 4.
The insured unemployment rate remained unchanged at 1.2%.
The latest monthly employment report showed that the US economy added 57,000 nonfarm jobs in June, below expectations, while the unemployment rate remained at 4.2%.
