U.S. filings for unemployment aid fall to 187,000 last week, fewest since 1969

By — Matt Ott, Associated Press Matt Ott, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/u-s-filings-for-unemployment-aid-fall-to-187000-last-week-fewest-since-1969 Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter U.S. filings for unemployment aid fall to 187,000 last week, fewest since 1969 Economy Jul 23, 2026 4:08 PM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. applications for jobless benefits tumbled to the lowest level in more than five decades last week as layoffs remain historically low despite global economic uncertainty. The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits in the week ending July 18 declined by 22,000 to 187,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That's the fewest number of weekly applications since the week ending Sept. 6, 1969, according to Labor Department data. READ MORE: Inflation eased in June, but Americans still feel pressure from high prices It's also well below the 215,000 new applications forecast by analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the U.S. job market. Despite surging oil prices resulting from the U.S.'s military attack on Iran, the American job market remains healthy and layoffs historically low. However, analysts say a prolonged war and higher than normal energy costs could eventually chip away at that, forcing companies to reduce costs by lowering head counts. "The economic crisis caused by the energy supply shock is not over yet," said Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Trading. "But the labor market has yet to show any sign of wear and tear from the surge in oil prices." The price for a barrel of U.S. crude surged nearly 5% early Thursday to more than $91. That's the highest level in about six weeks. Gas prices in the U.S. are also back up above $4 a gallon on average. That not only squeezes consumers' budgets, but also hits businesses hard, especially those which are heavily dependent on fuel. In its expansive June jobs report earlier this month, the government reported that employers pulled back on hiring, adding only 57,000 jobs. That's less than half the previous month's total and a sign that companies remain cautious about adding to their head counts. The unemployment rate dropped to 4.2% from 4.3% in May, though that decline is mostly because many out-of-work people gave up looking for jobs and were no longer counted as unemployed. June's tepid hiring comes after a relative surge in job gains the previous three months, countering concerns that the war in Iran could trip up an already wobbly labor market. Weekly jobless aid applications have stabilized in a range mostly between 200,000 and 250,000 since the U.S. economy emerged from the pandemic recession. Howe