The Unemployed Persons indicator tracks the total number of individuals who are currently without work but are actively seeking employment and are available to start. This figure is a direct measure of labor market slack. A rising number of unemployed persons typically signals economic distress and can lead to lower consumer confidence.
Data is collected via national labor surveys where individuals are classified as unemployed if they did not work during the reference week but made efforts to find a job in the past four weeks.
| Date | Actual | Forecast | Surprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 11, 2026 | 8.48 | 8.30 | +0.18 |
| May 12, 2026 | 8.14 | 8.20 | -0.06 |
| Feb 17, 2026 | 7.84 | 7.90 | -0.06 |
| Nov 11, 2025 | 8.01 | 8.10 | -0.09 |
| Aug 12, 2025 | 8.37 | 8.30 | +0.07 |
| May 13, 2025 | 8.23 | 8.30 | -0.07 |
| Feb 18, 2025 | 7.99 | 8.10 | -0.11 |
| Nov 12, 2024 | 8.01 | 8.60 | -0.59 |
| Aug 13, 2024 | 8.38 | 8.30 | +0.08 |
| May 14, 2024 | 8.23 | 7.90 | +0.33 |
| Feb 20, 2024 | 7.89 | 8.00 | -0.11 |
| Nov 14, 2023 | 7.85 | 7.80 | +0.05 |
| Aug 15, 2023 | 7.92 | 8.00 | -0.08 |
| May 16, 2023 | 7.93 | 7.70 | +0.23 |
| Feb 28, 2023 | 7.75 | 7.90 | -0.15 |
| Nov 29, 2022 | 7.70 | 7.80 | -0.10 |
| Aug 23, 2022 | 8.00 | 8.10 | -0.10 |
| May 31, 2022 | 7.90 | 8.00 | -0.10 |
| Mar 29, 2022 | 7.90 | — | — |
| Nov 30, 2021 | 7.60 | 8.00 | -0.40 |
