jobless claims edged down

Washington — The Labor Department released a report on Thursday showing first time-claims for US unemployment benefits unexpectedly edged lower in the week ended May 16th.

The report said initial jobless claims dipped to 209,000, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week’s revised level of 212,000. Economists had expected jobless claims to inch up to 213,000 from the 211,000 originally reported for the previous week.

Matthew Martin, Senior US Economist at Oxford Economics, noted jobless claims have been surprisingly stable over the past few months given the headwinds from the Iran conflict, elevated inflation, and lingering tariff uncertainty.

“Perhaps the most notable thing about claims data right is how unremarkable they are,” Martin said. “The labour market isn’t booming, but employers remain reluctant to reduce headcount.”

The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also slipped to 202,500, a decrease of 1,500 from the previous week’s revised average of 204,000.

Meanwhile, the report said continuing claims, a reading on the number of people receiving ongoing unemployment assistance, rose by 6,000 to 1.782 million in the week ended May 9th.

jobless claims edged down

The four-week moving average of continuing claims still fell to 1,773,000, a decrease of 6,500 from the previous week’s revised average of 1,779,500.

“Continued claims rose on a seasonally adjusted basis, but the modest increase kept the four-week moving-average on a downward trend, suggesting that displaced workers are still finding new positions despite a weaker hiring environment,” said Martin.

From the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims

Seasonally Adjusted Data

In the week ending May 16, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 209,000, a decrease of 3,000
from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up by 1,000 from 211,000 to 212,000. The
4-week moving average was 202,500, a decrease of 1,500 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s
average was revised up by 250 from 203,750 to 204,000.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.2 percent for the week ending May 9, unchanged
from the previous week’s unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the
week ending May 9 was 1,782,000, an increase of 6,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s
level was revised down by 6,000 from 1,782,000 to 1,776,000. The 4-week moving average was 1,773,000, a decrease of
6,500 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised down by 1,500 from 1,781,000
to 1,779,500

Unadjusted Data

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 185,625 in the week ending May
16, a decrease of 5,826 (or -3.0 percent) from the previous week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 3,385
(or -1.8 percent) from the previous week. There were 200,637 initial claims in the comparable week in 2025.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.1 percent during the week ending May 9, unchanged from the
prior week. The advance unadjusted level of insured unemployment in state programs totaled 1,678,750, a decrease of
10,658 (or -0.6 percent) from the preceding week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 15,988 (or -0.9
percent) from the previous week. A year earlier the rate was 1.2 percent and the volume was 1,779,686

The total number of continued weeks claimed for benefits in all programs for the week ending May 2 was 1,719,146, a
decrease of 38,104 from the previous week. There were 1,810,859 weekly claims filed for benefits in all programs in the
comparable week in 2025.

No state was triggered “on” the Extended Benefits program during the week ending May 2.
Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 424 in the week ending May 9, an
increase of 32 from the prior week. There were 395 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 12
from the preceding week.

There were 7,710 continued weeks claimed filed by former Federal civilian employees the week ending May 2, a
decrease of 110 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 4,412, a decrease of 5 from
the prior week.