2026-06-12
US Continuing Jobless Claims Rise to 1.795 Million, Exceeding Expectations; Labor Market Enters "Low-Fire, Low-Hire" Cooling Period
The US Department of Labor released the latest employment data showing that for the week ending May 30, 2026 (the second quarter of 2026), the number of continuing jobless claims climbed to 1.795 million. This figure not only increased by 18,000 from 1.777 million in the previous week, but also exceeded the analysts' consensus expectation of 1.780 million. The upward trend of this lagging indicator shows that after experiencing a prolonged high-interest-rate environment, the transition period for unemployed workers to return to the workplace is gradually lengthening in the US labor market.
Observing the key details, signs of a slowdown in the job market are also appearing in other coincident indicators. Regarding the newly released initial jobless claims (for the week ending June 6), the data slightly climbed to 229,000, higher than the expected 220,000, setting a new high in nearly four months. At the same time, the four-week moving average of continuing claims rose to 1.780 million; however, the Insured Unemployment Rate has remained stable at a historical low of 1.2% for five consecutive weeks, indicating that the overall foundation of the labor market still possesses resilience.
Delving deeper into the reasons for the data changes, market analysis generally attributes this to the current new normal of "low-fire, low-hire". BOK Financial points out that while companies are reluctant to lay off workers easily amid economic uncertainty, the number of new job openings has shrunk significantly, and the ratio of job openings to unemployed persons is gradually approaching the pre-pandemic equilibrium. Kitco News, citing analysts' perspectives, also believes that in addition to the recent seasonal fluctuations from Memorial Day, companies downsizing their recruitment plans and slowing down their hiring pace are the core drivers leading to the extended duration of receiving unemployment benefits.
Looking ahead, in the short term (1 to 2 months), influenced by summer vacations and seasonal adjustment factors, the number of continuing claims is expected to fluctuate at high levels within the range of 1.75 million to 1.80 million. The mild cooling of the overall labor market will help control the inflationary pressure caused by wages. However, in the medium term (3 to 6 months), if continuing claims persistently break upward and firmly hold above 1.80 million, it would indicate a substantial deterioration in labor demand. By then, it could change the Federal Reserve's (Fed) optimistic assessment of economic resilience and force the policy focus to shift earlier from fighting inflation to preventing downside economic risks.
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Gold price remains under pressure as U.S. jobless claims rises to 229k | Kitco News
By the Numbers: Job growth strong but companies slow to hire