Weekly Unemployment Claims Drop Very Slightly as Labor Market Remains Steady

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits saw a slight decline in the latest weekly report, indicating a stable labor market. According to seasonally adjusted data from the U.S. Department of Labor, initial jobless claims for the week ending March 8 totaled 220,000, reflecting a decrease of 2,000 from the revised figure of 222,000 from the prior week. The four-week moving average, which smooths out weekly fluctuations, rose by 1,500 to reach 226,000.

This article was updated 3/14/2025 to include numbers relevant to Federal employees.

The insured unemployment rate, a measure of those currently receiving benefits, remained unchanged at 1.2% for the week ending March 1. The number of insured unemployed individuals declined by 27,000 to reach 1,870,000, while the four-week moving average increased slightly to 1,872,250. Meanwhile, unadjusted claims, which do not factor in seasonal employment variations, fell by 13,202 to 212,817. This was a sharper decline than anticipated, as seasonal factors had projected a drop of 10,890.

Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,580 in the week ending March 1, a decrease of 54 from the prior week. There were 8,215 continued weeks claimed filed by former Federal civilian employees the week ending February 22, an increase of 803 from the previous week.

Geographically, states with the highest insured unemployment rates included Rhode Island (3.4%), New Jersey (2.9%), and Massachusetts (2.6%). Conversely, the largest increases in new claims were recorded in New York (+15,513), Texas (+1,774), and Kentucky (+891), primarily due to layoffs in industries such as transportation, warehousing, and retail trade. Meanwhile, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Michigan experienced notable decreases in claims.

The report also noted that the total number of continued claims across all unemployment programs rose to 2,265,318 for the week ending February 22, marking an increase of 70,555 from the previous week. No states were triggered for Extended Benefits during this period.

Article by multiple RFHC contributors, based upon information from the U.S. Department of Labor.

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