Jobless claims edge down to 197,000, beating forecasts
Continuing claims tick up to 1.719 million as the four-week average falls to 1.744 million
Published · Updated
Chart: US initial jobless claims
UpdateThursday, September 24, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET
Continuing claims are now shown falling by 11,000 from a prior figure of 1.730 million, not rising by 2,000 as first reported, and coming in below forecasts of 1.740 million.
Continuing claims of 1.719 million came in below the 1.740 million economists had forecast, according to the later data. The prior week's figure was 1.730 million, meaning continuing claims fell by 11,000, not the 2,000 rise first reported.
Initial jobless claims for the week fell to 197,000, below the 200,000 economists had expected and roughly in line with the prior week. Reuters had put the forecast at 201,000, a slightly different consensus than the figure cited alongside the release.
Continuing claims rose by 2,000 to 1.719 million for the week ending September 12, Brisk Markets reported. The four-week moving average, which smooths out weekly swings, declined by 13,000 to 1.744 million, and the insured unemployment rate held steady at 1.1%, according to Brisk Markets.
The prior week's claims figure itself is in dispute: Reuters reported it as 196,000, while Brisk Markets said it had been revised up to 198,000.
Before the release, the US Dollar Index had climbed to around 101.24, its highest level since late July, Brisk Markets reported. The small beat on claims does little to change the broader picture. Job openings have already retreated from expectations, pointing to underlying softness that this week's marginal improvement does not reverse. Taken together, the data describe a labor market that is cooling gradually, with no sign yet of either a sharp downturn or a renewed pickup in hiring.