US Weekly Initial Jobless Claims Increase in the Week Ending January 31

On Thursday, the US Department of Labor reported that the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 231,000 for the week ending Saturday, January 31, an increase of 22,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 209,000. The four-week moving average was 212,250—an increase of 6,000 from the prior week’s unrevised average of 206,250.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending January 24 was 1,844,000, an increase of 25,000 from the previous week’s revised level of 1,819,000 (originally 1,827,000). The four-week moving average was 1,850,750—a decrease of 14,750 from the prior week’s revised average of 1,865,500 (originally 1,867,500). This is the lowest level for this average since October 5, 2024.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.2% for the week ending January 24, unchanged from the previous week’s unrevised rate.