Updated: 05-Feb-26 09:14 ET

Initial Claims for the Week Ended Jan 31

Updated: 05-Feb-26 09:14 ET

Highlights

• Initial jobless claims for the week ending January 31 increased by 22,000 to 231,000 (Briefing.com consensus: 210,000).
• Continuing jobless claims for the week ending January 24 increased by 25,000 to 1.844 million.

Key Factors

• The four-week moving average for initial claims increased by 6,000 to 212,250.
• The four-week moving average for continuing claims decreased by 14,750 to 1,850,750.
• The total number of continued weeks claimed for benefits in all programs for the week ending January 17 was 2,171,479, a decrease of 94,314 from the previous week. Claims filed in the comparable week a year ago totaled 2,196,804.

Big Picture

• The key takeaway from the report was the jump in initial claims, which hit their highest level since early December. That created some headline surprise, but to be fair, the absolute level isn't that bad.

Category	Jan 31	Jan 24	Jan 17	Jan 10	Jan 3
Initial Claims	231K	209K	210K	199K	207K
4-Wk Moving Avg	212K	206K	204K	205K	212K
Continued Benefits		1844K	1819K	1865K	1875K
4-Wk Moving Avg		1851K	1866K	1875K	1887K