The number of people filing for unemployment benefits declined by 1,000 from the previous month to 206,000 in the first week of September 2026, roughly in line with expectations of 205,000. The reading maintains the recent pattern of historically low claims, following the drop to a near 60-year low of 189,000 in mid-July.
Continuing claims, which measure the total number of people receiving unemployment benefits and serve as a gauge of ongoing joblessness, fell by 1,000 to 1,774,000 in the last week of August, coming in below the consensus forecast of 1,780,000. These figures reinforce the picture of a resilient US labor market, even in the face of an unexpected decline in payrolls in the latest BLS report, and support the view held by some FOMC members that the economy is operating at or near full employment.
Meanwhile, initial claims filed by federal employees—closely watched amid the administration’s signals that it intends to reduce the size of the public sector—rose by 51 to 388.
