Weekly Jobless Claims Fall More Than Expected, Continuing Applications Rise

12:32 PM EST, 02/19/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Weekly applications for unemployment insurance in the US dropped more than projected, while continuing claims increased, government data showed Thursday.

For the week through Feb. 14, the seasonally adjusted number of initial claims fell by 23,000 to 206,000 from the previous week's average that was revised upwards by 2,000, the Department of Labor said. The consensus was for a 225,000 print in a Bloomberg poll.

The four-week moving average totaled 219,000, decreasing by 1,000 from the prior week's average that was revised up by 500. Unadjusted claims fell by 42,509 to 207,694 on a weekly basis, according to the data.

"The low claims prints at the end of January were likely the result of subdued pre-holiday hiring and subsequent subdued post-holiday layoffs," Jefferies Chief US Economist Thomas Simons said in a note e-mailed to MT Newswires. "This seasonal distortion is fading as time goes on, so the decline this week is encouraging and likely a more credible sign of stability in the labor market than what we had seen in prior weeks."

Seasonally adjusted continuing claims for the week ended Feb. 7 amounted to about 1.87 million, above Wall Street's views for a reading of 1.86 million. Continuing claims rose by 17,000 from the previous week's level, which was revised down by 10,000. The four-week moving average grew by 1,000 to 1.85 million from the prior week's downwardly revised average, according to the DOL.

"Broadly, the initial claims continue to show limited layoff activity," Simons said. "Subdued continuing claims also show that workers who are let go from their jobs are having an incrementally easier time finding a new one than they were a few months ago."

On Wednesday, minutes from the Federal Reserve's January monetary policy meeting showed that central bank officials seemed divided over the projected path of interest rates as the focus shifted from labor market weakness to concerns about elevated inflation.

Last week, government data showed the US economy added more jobs than projected in January, while the unemployment rate declined.

Markets widely expect the Fed to keep its benchmark lending rate unchanged next month, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

MT Newswires does not provide investment advice. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.