US jobless claims fall to 189,000, matching 1969 low

Initial claims for US unemployment benefits fell 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 189,000 in the week ended October 31, below the 196,000 economists had forecast and matching the level last touched in mid-July, the lowest since 1969.

Why it matters: Layoffs remain historically scarce on the eve of the October payrolls report, keeping the labour market in its low-hire, low-fire state and giving the Federal Reserve no labour-market reason to soften its stance.

Data as of US Department of Labor news release USDL 26-1680-NAT, embargoed 8:30 a.m. ET on November 5, 2026 and read in full in this run; every figure is the release's own, seasonally adjusted unless stated. The 196,000 consensus forecast and the 1969 comparison are Reuters reporting. Developing item.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 189,000 in the week ended October 31, the Labor Department reported on Thursday, below the 196,000 economists polled by Reuters had forecast. The previous week’s level was revised up by 1,000 to 195,000, and the four-week moving average fell 2,250 to 194,750.

Reuters noted the reading matched the 189,000 touched in mid-July, the lowest level since 1969, and that claims have stayed mostly below 200,000 since mid-September. Insured unemployment rose 23,000 to 1,718,000 in the week ended October 24, with the insured unemployment rate unchanged at 1.1 percent.

The claims week falls outside the survey period for the October employment report due on Friday, so the print does not change that release, but it confirms layoffs are still running at historically low levels.

US jobless claims fall to 189,000, matching 1969 low

Sources