Hiring averages 86,000 jobs a month this year, up from 9,700 in 2025
More Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, but the level of applications remains historically low, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday. Weekly claims for jobless benefits rose to 200,000, up from a revised 191,000 the week before and above the 195,000 that economists had forecast.
The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, was unchanged at 195,250. Applications for jobless benefits serve as a proxy for layoffs, and economists watch them closely for signs of where the job market is headed.
The latest weekly figure matches the Initial Jobless Claims series tracked by FRED, which listed 200,000 initial claims as of Nov. 12, 2026.
Claims have run at historically low levels in the year to date, never topping 230,000 in a single week, and have come in at or below 200,000 for nine straight weeks. The AP report described a job market in which layoffs are rare and most workers “enjoy unusual job security.”
Employers — companies, government agencies and nonprofits — have added an average of 86,000 jobs a month this year, including a surprisingly strong 165,000 last month, according to the report.
The 2026 pace is modest by historic standards, but it marks an improvement on 2025, a year the report called “lackluster,” when monthly job creation averaged 9,700. The report attributed that weakness to high interest rates and President Donald Trump’s unpredictable trade policies, which discouraged hiring.
Consumer spending has remained resilient, and a surge in investment in artificial intelligence has lifted economic growth, the report noted.
Economists watch the weekly figures for signs of where the job market is headed. The latest read shows layoffs remaining rare, most workers holding unusual job security and hiring, though modest by historic standards, improved from a weak 2025.