The U.S. Department of Labor said on Jan. 15 (local time) that initial jobless claims in the week of Jan. 4–10 were 198,000, down 9,000 from the previous week.
The number of claims fell below the forecast of 215,000 compiled by Dow Jones.
The four-week moving average of initial claims was 205,000, down 6,500 from the previous week, the lowest in two years since January 2024, the department said.
The decline in initial jobless claims suggests the possibility that layoffs have decreased.
Continuing claims, for those who filed for unemployment benefits for two weeks or longer, were 1,884,000 in the week of Dec. 28, 2025–Jan. 3, 2026, down 19,000 from the previous week.
With concerns persisting that the U.S. labor market could cool, Wall Street is closely watching employment indicators to gauge labor market trends.