U.S. applications for unemployment benefits inch down to 213,000 as layoffs remain stable

Associated Press AP Thu, Mar 12, 2026 • 08:58 AM

Construction workers install a lumber roof on April 1, 2025, at a new home build in Laveen, Ariz. (AP)

WASHINGTON — U.S. applications for unemployment benefits inched down modestly last week as layoffs remain at historically healthy levels despite a weakening job market.

The number of Americans filing for jobless aid for the week ending March 7 fell by 1,000 to 213,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet forecast 215,000 new benefit applications.

Filings for unemployment benefits are viewed as a proxy for U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.

The four-week moving average of jobless claims, which tempers some of the week-to-week volatility, dropped by 4,000 to 212,000.

The total number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the previous week ending Feb. 28 declined by 21,000 to 1.85 million, the government said.