Initial claims for U.S. unemployment benefits edged slightly lower last week, holding near historically low levels and signaling continued strength in the labor market, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor.
For the week ending March 22, seasonally adjusted initial claims totaled 224,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week. The four-week moving average, which smooths out weekly volatility, also fell by 4,750 to 224,000. These figures reflect the Labor Department’s annual revision of seasonal adjustment factors.
The number of people receiving unemployment benefits — known as insured unemployment — was 1.86 million for the week ending March 15, down 25,000 from the previous week. The insured unemployment rate remained unchanged at 1.2%.
Unadjusted data show that 198,917 people filed initial claims during the same week, a 4.1% decrease from the previous period. There were 193,923 claims during the comparable week in 2024.
Across states, Michigan, Mississippi, and Texas recorded the largest increases in new claims, citing layoffs in management, agriculture, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors. California and Illinois posted the largest declines, though no specific reasons were provided.
The total number of continued claims for all programs fell to 2.15 million for the week ending March 8, down by more than 30,000 from the prior week. No states were triggered “on” the Extended Benefits program during the period.
The report also includes an annual update to the methodology used to seasonally adjust claims data, which helps account for predictable fluctuations due to weather, holidays, and other cyclical factors. These revisions impact data from 2020 forward.
Overall, the data suggest that despite pockets of job loss in specific industries and states, the broader labor market remains stable.
