Although the trend for continued claims for unemployment is slightly up since Nov 1, 2021, the overall trend for initial claims remains down since then

The average weekly figure for initial claims in 2025 was historically very low at 224,490, and for 1Q2026 it's up only 3.7% from that, to 232,826.

The average weekly figure for continued claims in 2025 was 1,923,140, and for 1Q2026 it's 2,140,439, up 11.3%.