US Jobless Claims Match 57-Year Low

U.S. initial jobless claims fell to 189,000 for the week ended October 31, 2026, down 6,000 from the previous week's revised level of 195,000 and matching the lowest reading since the week ended July 18, 1969. The U.S. Department of Labor released the weekly data on Thursday, November 5, 2026. Claims have remained below 200,000 since mid-September. Continuing claims totaled 1.718 million for the week of October 18-24, up 23,000 from the prior week's revised 1.695 million. Economists' forecasts for initial claims were reported differently across outlets: Dow Jones at 197,000 per Asia Business Daily and Bloomingbit, and 196,000 per RTTNews and InvestorsHub. Bloomingbit said continuing claims were 8,000 above a market forecast of 1.71 million. Several reports described the labor market as in a low-hire, low-fire pattern, with slowed hiring and low layoffs. The monthly employment report was due the following day, Friday, November 6, 2026.