Applications for unemployment benefits in the United States fell to 194,000 last week, reaching their lowest point since mid-July. The figures released by the Labor Department on Thursday, Oct. 29, showed that layoffs remained low, with most Americans continuing to have security in their jobs even as employers maintained a modest pace of hiring.
The latest weekly total was down from a revised 195,000 in the preceding week. The four-week average also declined, reaching 196,750. That measure smooths out fluctuations from one week to the next, providing a less volatile view of applications than a single weekly report.
Claims have stayed at historically low levels throughout the year. No week has recorded more than 230,000 applications, and the latest figures extended the run of readings at or below 200,000 to seven consecutive weeks. The decline last week kept applications within that recent pattern of low totals.
Economists closely track applications for unemployment benefits because they serve as a proxy for layoffs and can offer clues about the direction of the labor market. The continued low readings come alongside hiring figures that have improved from 2025 but still show limited monthly job gains.
Employers, including businesses, government agencies and nonprofit organizations, have added an average of 68,000 jobs per month so far this year. September's increase was a disappointing 29,000 jobs, below that monthly average. The figures show that low layoffs have persisted alongside a relatively slow pace of job creation.
Even so, this year's average represents an improvement over the lackluster hiring recorded in 2025, when employers added an average of 9,700 jobs a month. High interest rates and President Donald Trump's unpredictable trade policies discouraged hiring during that year, holding back the pace at which employers expanded their workforces.
Meanwhile, consumer spending has remained resilient. A surge of investment in artificial intelligence has also helped lift economic growth, providing another source of support for the economy during a period of modest hiring.
The next hiring report is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 6, when the Labor Department will publish October's employment figures. Forecasters surveyed by data firm FactSet expect the report to show that employers added 55,000 jobs during October.
