US Initial Jobless Claims Hit Highest of 2025 as DC Layoffs Jump

Applications for US unemployment benefits rose to the highest this year, amid an increase in job-cuts announcements at corporations and federal agencies.

Initial claims increased by 22,000 to 242,000 in the week ended Feb. 22, matching the highest level since October, according to Labor Department data released Thursday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 221,000 applications.

The pickup in new applications coincides with a number of staff-reduction plans at high-profile corporations such as Starbucks Corp., Meta Platforms Inc. and Southwest Airlines Co. Economists have also been on the lookout out for the ripple effects ...