Labor Market · September 24, 2026 · 1 min read

Jobless claims fall to 197,000, below forecasts

Published September 24, 2026

Reviewed by Econ Data Tools editorial QC

Initial claims dropped by 1,000 in the week ending Sept. 19 when economists expected a rise to 201,000.

Initial jobless claims fell to 197,000 in the week ending Sept. 19, down 1,000 from a revised 198,000 the week before, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected claims to rise to 201,000, Dow Jones reported. Continuing claims, which run a week behind, totaled 1.72 million in the week ending Sept. 12, up 2,000 from the prior week's downwardly revised total. The numbers land a week after the Federal Reserve raised its target range by a quarter point to 3.75% to 4%. On Thursday, New York Fed President John Williams said it would be "reasonable" to see another rate hike by the end of the year. Low layoffs give the Fed little reason to hold back while inflation stays above its 2% target, Dow Jones noted.

Follow the data

Relevant directory links appear to be unassigned.

Sources

Related News

WTI settles at $91.11 and Brent at $102.25 on October 2 as G7 plans 100 million barrel release

EnergyNow reports WTI crude settled at $91.11 a barrel on October 2, 2026, down $1.76 or 1.90% from Thursday's $92.87, while Brent settled at $102.25. Europe and the G7 agreed to release emergency diesel and other stocks totaling 100 million barrels.

Fed reserve balances average $2.948 trillion in week ended September 30, H.4.1 shows

The Federal Reserve's H.4.1 release of October 1, 2026 shows reserve balances averaged $2,948.1 billion in the week ended September 30, up $17.9 billion on the week and down $18.0 billion from a year earlier.

Fed Vice Chair Jefferson: GDP grew 2.4% in first half, inflation 'too high for too long'

In an October 1, 2026 speech, Fed Vice Chair Philip Jefferson said GDP grew at a 2.4% pace in the first half of 2026, the unemployment rate was 4.1% in August and 12-month PCE inflation was 3.4% in August. The FOMC raised the funds rate range to 3.75% to 4.00% in September.