US jobless claims have sunk to the lowest level in more than 50 years

Fewer people are claiming unemployment benefits, as BLS data shows the US labor market hiring less and firing less.

5/1/26 10:06AM

New data released by the Labor Department on Thursday reveals that the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits has fallen to its lowest level in almost six decades.

According to the filing, initial jobless claims dropped to 189,000 in the week ended April 25 — down by roughly 26,000 from the week prior, and below Bloomberg analysts’ estimates of 212,000 — marking the fewest new applications since September 1969, The Associated Press reported. Continuing claims (the number of people who’ve already filed an initial claim and continued to claim unemployment benefits for that week) also fell in the week ended April 18, hitting ~1.8 million, the lowest level seen in two years.

These unemployment claim figures indicate that the US labor market continues to be in a “low-hire, low-fire” state, supported by the latest job turnover data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For the month of February, total nonfarm hiring was over 4.8 million, a 9% decline from January, while separations sank to 4.97 million.

Cutting losses

What does this mean for workers? Though historically low separation rates are good news for those who are already holding down jobs — provided that they’re content with staying put — the hiring slowdown that’s been observed in recent years appears to be tapering off yet further as more companies turn to AI, the job threat du jour, to cover taskwork.

Per Bloomberg Economics, the decline in unemployment claims “sends a strong signal that layoffs are still limited.” But that’s something of a narrative violation for those keeping track of job cut announcements sweeping the tech world and beyond, which could still take full effect later in the year.

Hyunsoo Rim

hardly working

5/27/26

Teens aren’t getting summer jobs like they used to — this year could be worse than ever

Teen summer hiring in the US might hit its lowest level since federal tracking began, new report finds.

Saleah Blancaflor

5/15/26

From Desi Arnaz to SpaceX: Understanding the rules of the modern economy

We talked with “Planet Money” author Alex Mayyasi about how AI might help or replace you, the superstar effect, and how the compounding effect extends beyond money.

Globes covered with various currencies suspended in space

Millie Giles5/8/26

Ahead of Mother’s Day, Google searches for “same day flower delivery” have ticked up a little earlier this year

If you’ve already made plans for a Mother’s Day gift in advance of this Sunday, congratulations. But if alarm bells are suddenly ringing, consider this a gentle reminder that, like a sizable share of the US population this time of year often does, you can still scrape together some last-minute flowers for the woman who carried you for nine months.

Data from Google Trends reveals that searches for “same day flower delivery” spike in the US in May every year, when Mother’s Day takes place. As we noted last February, the same query also gains traction around Valentine’s Day.

This year, however, it appears that searches for last-minute flowers have remained elevated in the last two months after the usual peak in February — with the search interest this April actually exceeding that seen around Cupid’s Day.

Honestly, we’re not sure why searches are spiking a little early. One explanation might be that Passover and Easter have overlapped at the start of April, and Americans wanted to celebrate with some flowers. Maybe it’s a host of Claude bots that are now running errands for AI-obsessed execs — or perhaps Americans are just impulse-buying some seasonal spring blooms after an unusually warm March, without a particular occasion.