US jobless claims fall to 189,000 in the week to 31 October

Initial claims for unemployment insurance fell to a seasonally adjusted 189,000 in the week ended 31 October 2026, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's revised level. The Labor Department published the figures on 5 November 2026 (US Department of Labor: Unemployment insurance weekly claims, 5 November 2026). The advance figure is a first estimate and can be revised.

Key figures

• Initial claims, advance: 189,000 for the week ended 31 October
• Prior week, revised: 195,000 (first reported as 194,000)
• Four-week average: 194,750, down 2,250
• Insured unemployment rate: 1.1% for the week ended 24 October, unchanged
• Insured unemployment: 1,718,000 for the week ended 24 October, up 23,000

Unadjusted figures

Before seasonal adjustment, states reported 176,698 initial claims, down 2,951 (1.6%) on the week. The seasonal factors had expected a rise of 2,539 (1.4%). A year earlier, in the comparable week of 2025, there were 216,026 unadjusted claims.

The previous week's report is US jobless claims eased to 194,000 in the week to 24 October. The October payrolls report is due today: see US jobs report for October due Friday 6 November. For how traders handle jobs data, see how to trade non-farm payrolls.