Updated: 06-Aug-26 09:20 ET

Initial Claims for the Week Ended Aug 01

Updated: 06-Aug-26 09:20 ET

Highlights

• Initial jobless claims for the week ending August 1 increased by 1,000 to 199,000 (Briefing.com consensus: 200,000).
• Continuing jobless claims for the week ending July 25 increase by 24,000 to 1.801 million.

Key Factors

• The four-week moving average for initial claims decreased by 4,500 to 198,750.
• The four-week moving average for continuing claims decreased by 5,000 to 1,791,250.
• The total number of continued weeks claimed for benefits in all programs for the week ending July 18 was 1,867,802. Claims filed in the comparable week a year ago totaled 2,036,224.

Big Picture

• The key takeaway from the report, once again, is the extraordinarily low level of initial jobless claims, which reflects an environment in which employers are still reluctant to cut staff. That will be read as a good sign for economic demand.

Category	Aug 1	Jul 25	Jul 18	Jul 11	Jul 4
Initial Claims	199K	198K	189K	209K	217K
4-Wk Moving Avg	199K	203K	208K	215K	219K
Continued Benefits		1801K	1777K	1789K	1798K
4-Wk Moving Avg		1791K	1796K	1804K	1809K