Unemployment insurance claims fell to 197,000 last week

Initial unemployment claims in the country stood at 197,000 during the week ending October 3, marking a decrease of 2,000 from the revised level of the previous week, the Department of Labor reported. 

The agency revised the previous week's figure upward, from 197,000 to 199,000 claims. The four-week moving average, considered a less volatile benchmark, stood at 198,000, 2,500 fewer than the revised average for the previous week, which rose from 200,000 to 200,500.

Meanwhile, the insured unemployment rate remained at 1.1% for the week ending September 26, unchanged from the previous week. The number of people receiving unemployment benefits reached 1.716 million, 17,000 more than the revised level from the previous week.

Unadjusted claims rise

Without seasonal adjustment, initial claims under state programs totaled 170,333 for the week ending October 3. The figure represents an increase of 11,994 claims, or 7.6%, compared with the previous week.

The Department of Labor noted that seasonal factors had called for an increase of 13,725 claims, equivalent to 8.7%. In the comparable week of 2025, 207,124 initial claims were filed.

The unadjusted insured unemployment rate remained at 1% for the week ending September 26. The number of unemployed individuals covered by state programs was 1,504,800, an increase of 7,579, or 0.5%, compared to the previous week. A year earlier, the rate was 1.1% and the number stood at 1,683,703 people.

As for the total number of continuing weeks claimed for benefits across all programs, the figure for the week ending September 19 was 1,520,055, 47,372 fewer than the previous week. During the same period in 2025, 1,727,793 weekly claims were recorded.