U.S. unemployment claims fall as layoffs remain historically low

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits declined slightly last week, signaling that layoffs remain historically low despite a slower hiring environment.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that unemployment claims for the week ending July 4 fell by 2,000 to 215,000. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected claims to reach 220,000.

Weekly unemployment filings serve as a near real-time measure of layoffs and provide insight into the overall health of the labor market.

While layoffs remain limited, employers have continued to pull back on hiring.

The government’s June jobs report showed employers added 57,000 jobs during the month, less than half of the previous month’s gains. The unemployment rate declined to 4.2% from 4.3% in May, though the drop was largely driven by people leaving the workforce and no longer being counted as unemployed.

Notably, the weaker hiring numbers follow stronger job growth earlier in the year and reflect continued uncertainty surrounding economic conditions, including tariffs, interest rates and changes to the federal workforce.

Claims remain historically stable

Weekly unemployment filings have largely remained between 200,000 and 250,000 since the U.S. economy recovered from the pandemic recession.

Although layoffs have stayed contained, hiring momentum has slowed over the past two years and weakened further in 2025 as businesses adjusted to higher borrowing costs and shifting economic policies.

Several large companies have announced workforce reductions in recent months, including:

• Verizon Communications
• United Parcel Service
• Amazon
• The Walt Disney Company
• Starbucks
• Walmart

Earlier this week, Microsoft announced plans to cut 4,800 jobs, representing about 2.1% of its global workforce. Many of the reductions will affect its Xbox gaming division.

The four-week moving average of unemployment claims declined by 3,750 to 218,750, smoothing out weekly fluctuations. However, the number of Americans continuing to receive unemployment benefits increased by 8,000 for the week ending June 27, reaching 1.81 million. 

Further, economists still consider that level historically healthy, indicating that workers who lose jobs are generally finding new opportunities.