The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released information on February 12th indicating that the estimated number of first-time applications for unemployment benefits, adjusted for seasonal variations, was 227,000 last week. This was a decrease of 5,000 from the revised data of the previous week. The latest non-farm employment data shows that 130,000 jobs were added in January, with the unemployment rate remaining steady at 4.3%.
On February 12th, the Department of Labor announced that the estimated number of first-time applications for unemployment benefits, adjusted for seasonal variations, was 227,000 for the week ending February 7th. This was a decrease of 5,000 from the revised data of the previous week. The previous week’s data for the period from January 25th to 31st was initially reported at 231,000 but was later adjusted to 232,000, an increase of 1,000 people. The rise in the previous week was mainly attributed to severe winter weather across several parts of the U.S. and the normalization following seasonal fluctuations at the end of last year and the beginning of 2026.
Since late November of last year, the number of applications has fluctuated between 192,000 and 237,000.
Data also shows that as of the week ending January 24th, the total number of weeks for continued receipt of unemployment benefits was 2,248,314, a decrease of over 34,000 weeks compared to the same period in 2025 when it was 2,282,333 weeks.
Economists surveyed by Reuters had initially projected the latest week’s initial claims to be 222,000. While the decrease in new unemployment benefit applications last week was less than expected, Reuters reported that this decline still aligns with economists’ views that the U.S. labor market, after experiencing weakness last year, is gradually stabilizing.
On February 11th, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the latest non-farm employment data. The report stated that non-farm employment increased by 130,000 in January, with the unemployment rate remaining relatively unchanged at 4.3%. The new job positions were mainly concentrated in healthcare, social assistance, and construction sectors, while job cuts were prominent in the federal government and financial industry.
The statistics show that the number of unemployed individuals in January was 7.4 million, with little month-to-month variation but an increase compared to the same period last year. In January 2025, the unemployment rate was 4.0%, with 6.9 million people unemployed.
Individuals who have been unemployed for 27 weeks or longer are classified as long-term unemployed. In January, there were 1.8 million long-term unemployed individuals, an increase of 386,000 from a year ago. Currently, long-term unemployed individuals make up about a quarter of the total unemployed population in the U.S.
Among major labor groups, the youth unemployment rate in January decreased to 13.6%. The unemployment rate for adult males was 3.8%, while for adult females, it was 4.0%. When analyzed by race, in January, the unemployment rates for White and Asian individuals were lower than the overall rate, at 3.7% and 4.1% respectively. The Black community had the highest unemployment rate at 7.2%, while Hispanics had a rate of 4.7%.