Analysis: U.S. initial unemployment claims fell less than expected, and the aftereffects of winter storm disturbances have not yet dissipated.

Deep Tide TechFlow News, February 12 — According to Jinshi Data, the U.S. Department of Labor announced on Thursday that for the week ending February 7, the seasonally adjusted number of initial unemployment claims decreased by 5,000 to 227,000, slightly above market expectations of 222,000. This decline only offset a small portion of the surge from the previous week — the spike was attributed to widespread snowstorms and cold weather across the U.S., as well as seasonal adjustments following normalization after seasonal fluctuations from late 2025 to early 2026. Despite job growth accelerating in January and the unemployment rate dropping from 4.4% in December to 4.3%, economists still characterize the labor market as “low hiring, low layoffs.” The report also shows that for the week ending January 31, the number of ongoing unemployment claims increased by 21,000 seasonally adjusted to 1.862 million. This data was also affected by seasonal fluctuations. Although the number of long-term unemployed persons decreased in January, the median duration of unemployment remains close to levels from four years ago. The employment situation for recent graduates remains severe.