US Jobless Claims Fall to 196,000, Lowest Since Mid-July
Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Sep 17
US Jobless Claims Fall to 196,000, Lowest Since Mid-July
3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Sep 17
Summary
196,000 Americans filed new unemployment claims last week, down 10,000 from 206,000 and well below the 207,500 economists expected.
203,250 was the four-week average, reinforcing a broader pattern of historically low claims that have mostly stayed between 200,000 and 230,000 over the past year.
Low layoffs reflect employers' reluctance to cut staff after post-pandemic labor shortages, even as higher gasoline prices tied to fighting with Iran have squeezed businesses and consumers.
80,000 jobs a month have been added on average this year, with August unexpectedly strong at 162,000, improving from 2025's 9,700 pace but still trailing 2023-24's 166,000 average.