US New Jobless Claims Hit 189K, Lowest Since 1969

For the week ending April 25, initial jobless claims totaled 189K, far below consensus of 212K and matching the lowest level since 1969. Continuing claims fell 10K to 1.766M, hitting a two-year low. Despite robust overall labor metrics, April tech sector layoffs reached 33,361, bringing year-to-date total to 85,411—up 33% versus the same period in 2025. Within 17 days, Oracle, Meta, and Snap announced nearly 19K reductions, with AI cited as the reason in 26% of cases.