← All instruments — the full set 1967
high 19,153,000 · low 992,000 · now 1,777,000 · 8 recessions shaded 2026
F14 · TROUBLE FINDING NEW WORK
Continued unemployment claims (insured unemployment)
1,777,000
CALM ROBUST z -0.31 DRS 95 weekly as of 2026-05-23
Where it sits: lower than ~67% of its last decade.
The full history
How it is read
- What it measures
- trouble finding new work
- Where it sits
- lower than ~67% of its last decade — at the 33th percentile of its last decade.
- z vs. its window
- -0.31 (strain side: up). 520 observations in the window.
- State rule
- z < 1 CALM · 1 ≤ z < 2 WATCH · z ≥ 2 EXTREME, measured only toward the declared strain side.
- Confidence
- ROBUST — a primary official series, mechanically reported.
- Reliability (DRS)
- DRS 95 — The 'hard to find a new job' leg of labor softening — pairs with initial claims (F9).
Where it comes from
FRED ↗ Every number on this site is reproducible from this primary source.
What it read at past stress points
| Lehman, Sep 2008 | 3,493,000 | ◆ WATCH |
|---|---|---|
| Q4-2018 selloff | 1,770,000 | · CALM |
| Curve inversion, Aug 2019 | 1,604,000 | · CALM |
| COVID crash, Mar 2020 | 3,238,000 | · CALM |
Questions it helps answer
- Work — Is the labor market holding — and how broadly?