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Applications for unemployment aid eased last week to a ten-week low while American layoffs stay at historically subdued levels

ByMATT OTT AP business writer

July 16, 2026, 8:40 AM

WASHINGTON - Applications for unemployment aid eased last week to a ten-week low while American layoffs stay at historically subdued levels.

The number of people requesting jobless benefits in the week ending July 11 fell by 8,000 to 208,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. The total came in below the 219,000 new claims projected by analysts polled by FactSet.

Weekly unemployment filings act as a timely gauge of layoffs and the overall strength of the U.S. labor market.

The four-week moving average of claims, which smooths weekly swings, slipped by 4,750 to 214,250.

The total number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits for the week ending July 4 declined by 16,000 to 1.81 million, another figure viewed as historically healthy.