US jobless claims tick up to 200,000 but stay low by historic standards

More Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week than in the week before, but claims remain at historically low levels, the US Labor Department reported on Thursday.

According to the Labor Department, jobless claims ticked up to 200,000 last week, from a revised 191,000 the week before.

The figure came in higher than economists had forecast. Economists had expected about 195,000 applications.

The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, was unchanged at 195,250.

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 never topped 230,000 in a single week, and they have come in at or below 200,000 for nine straight weeks.

Employers — companies, government agencies and nonprofits — have been adding an average of 86,000 jobs a month so far this year, including a surprisingly strong 165,000 last 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, the report said.

Consumer spending has remained resilient, and a surge in investment in artificial intelligence has lifted economic growth, the report also noted.