Weekly Jobless Claims Rise Less Than Expected, Continuing Claims Fall

03:08 PM EST, 02/26/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Weekly applications for unemployment insurance in the US rose less than estimated, while continuing claims decreased, government data showed Thursday.

For the week through Feb. 21, the seasonally adjusted number of initial claims increased by 4,000 to 212,000 from the previous week's average that was adjusted upwards by 2,000, the Department of Labor said. The consensus was for a 216,000 print in a Bloomberg poll.

The four-week moving average totaled 220,250, rising by 750 from the prior week's average that was revised higher by 500. Unadjusted claims fell by 16,723 to 193,107 on a weekly basis, the DOL said.

"The latest figures on initial jobless claims are consistent with our view that labor market conditions have stabilized and will improve as 2026 unfolds," Oxford Economics Lead US Economist Nancy Vanden Houten said in remarks e-mailed to MT Newswires.

Seasonally adjusted continuing claims for the week ended Feb. 14 totaled about 1.83 million, below Wall Street's views for 1.86 million. Continuing claims dropped by 31,000 from the previous week's level, which was revised down by 5,000. The four-week moving average rose by 3,500 to about 1.85 million from the prior week's downwardly revised average, according to the DOL.

"Continued claims are also trending lower, and the recent pattern of downward revisions persists," Vanden Houten said. "The low hiring rate is still the most concerning aspect of the labor market, but the trend in continued claims suggests employers aren't pulling back further."

Official data released earlier this month showed that the US economy added more jobs than projected in January, while the unemployment rate fell. The report for February nonfarm payrolls is expected to be released next week.

Earlier this week, Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said that continued improvement in the labor market, along with further progress on inflation, would tilt his decision toward a pause in interest rates at the central bank's March monetary policy meeting.

Markets currently widely expect the Federal Open Market Committee to leave its benchmark lending rate unchanged next month, according to the CME FedWatch tool. Last year, the FOMC delivered three back-to-back 25-basis-point interest rate cuts amid concerns about labor market.

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