The number of people filing for unemployment benefits fell by 2,000 to 197,000 in the week ending October 3, 2026, coming in below market expectations of 200,000 and marking the lowest level of initial claims since the 60-year low of 189,000 recorded in mid-July. Continuing claims, a measure of ongoing unemployment in the United States, increased by 17,000 to 1,716,000, remaining close to the more-than-three-year low reached in the prior week. Together, the figures underscore the continued resilience of the US labor market, even as the Federal Reserve maintains its assessment that the economy is operating at or near full employment. Meanwhile, initial claims filed by federal employees—closely watched amid the administration’s efforts to shrink the public sector—rose by 26 to 395, still well below historical norms.