U.S. jobless claims fall to 213,000, staying low

New applications for U.S. unemployment benefits fell to a seasonally adjusted 213,000 in the week ended February 8, 2025, the Labor Department reported on February 13. The decrease of 7,000 kept filings low, offering another indication that layoffs were not putting substantial new pressure on the labor market.

The reading was slightly below the 215,000 applications forecast by economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal, according to MarketWatch. The department revised the preceding week’s total upward to 220,000 from an initially reported 219,000, making the latest decline larger than a comparison with the original figure would suggest.

The four-week moving average fell by 1,000 to 216,000. That measure smooths fluctuations in weekly applications, making it useful for assessing whether an individual increase or decline represents a broader shift rather than a short-lived movement in filings.

Continuing claims, which track insured unemployment after an initial application, also declined. They fell by 36,000 to 1.85 million in the week ended February 1, while the seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate remained unchanged at 1.2%, the department said.

Weekly benefit applications provide a timely indication of layoffs, but they do not establish how quickly employers are hiring. The decline therefore pointed to limited job losses among workers applying for benefits, rather than demonstrating that opportunities for people seeking work had improved to the same extent.

The broader employment picture available at the time showed continued job creation. In its February 7 report, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said nonfarm payrolls increased by 143,000 in January and the unemployment rate edged down to 4.0%, providing context for the relatively subdued claims figures.

January’s employment gains included health care, retail trade and social assistance, while employment declined in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction. Those differences underscored that a positive national payroll total did not mean every industry was expanding, just as low nationwide claims did not rule out layoffs at individual employers.

The monthly report also showed that 1.4 million people had been unemployed for at least 27 weeks, representing 21.1% of all unemployed people. That figure changed little in January, highlighting why the experience of workers already searching for jobs can differ from the picture suggested by new benefit applications.

Taken together, the reports suggested a labor market still adding jobs without a broad increase in new unemployment claims. Subsequent weekly releases would show whether the decline persisted, while monthly employment data would provide the wider test of hiring and unemployment; the claims figures remained preliminary and subject to revision.