US jobless claims fall to 227,000 last week

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The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell by 5,000 to 227,000 last week, remaining within the historically healthy range of the past few years, according to a report from the Labor Department. While some high-profile companies have announced job cuts recently, weekly layoffs have largely stayed between 200,000 and 250,000 for the past few years.

Why it matters

The number of applications for jobless benefits is seen as a real-time indicator of the health of the job market. The latest data suggests the labor market remains relatively strong, even as some economic indicators have pointed to a slowdown.

The details

The Labor Department reported that the four-week moving average of jobless claims rose by 7,000 to 219,500. The total number of Americans filing for jobless benefits for the previous week increased by 21,000 to 1.86 million. While the January jobs report showed stronger-than-expected hiring, the government also revised down payroll gains for 2024-2025, indicating the labor market may be slowing.

• The data is for the week ending February 7, 2026.
• The government reported U.S. employers added 130,000 jobs in January 2026.

What’s next

Economists will be closely watching future jobless claims data and the monthly jobs report to gauge the strength of the labor market and whether the Federal Reserve will need to make further interest rate adjustments.