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The
Labor Department reported that claims were down from 200,000 the
week before.
Applications for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs, and
economists watch them closely because they can provide signs of
where the job market is headed. So far this year, claims have
remained at historically low levels, never topping 230,000 in a
single week.
The four-week average of claims, which strips out week-to-week
ups and downs, dipped to 197,750.
The American job market has remained sturdy despite higher
energy prices that have squeezed businesses and consumers since
the fighting with Iran began Feb. 28. Most companies are
confident enough in the economy and their sales to hold onto
workers. At the same time, hiring has been sluggish, resulting
in a “low-hire, low-fire” job market. Last month, the
unemployment rate ticked up to a still-low 4.2%.
So far this year, employers — companies, government agencies and
nonprofits — have been adding an average of 68,000 jobs a month.
That is an improvement on a lackluster 2025 when monthly job
creation averaged 9,700 as high interest rates and President
Donald Trump’s unpredictable trade policies discouraged hiring.
Hiring remains well below the 166,000 monthly jobs created, on
average, in 2023 and 2024, and the 491,000 a month recorded
during the 2021-2022 hiring boom that followed COVID-19
lockdowns.
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