Initial jobless claims in New Mexico dipped last week. But jobless filings edged up nationwide, new data released by the U.S. Department of Labor revealed.
The state logged 813 new unemployment benefit applications for the period ending February 21. It eased from 836 the previous week.
The state continued to post modest gains, with the late-2025 unemployment rate at 4.2 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The construction, education, and health services sectors have shown solid gains, while information and professional/business services are sluggish.
Across the United States, according to a DOL press release, the seasonally adjusted claims rose to 212,000, a modest increase of 4,000 from the previous week’s total of 208,000.
The four-week moving average, smoothing out weekly volatility, rose to 220,250, an increase of 750 from the previous week’s revised average of 219,500. That number was also revised to 500.
Data across states showed sharp changes. Rhode Island has the largest percentage increase in weekly filings, jumping 132 percent. Michigan posted the steepest decline, dropping 49.9 percent.
Meanwhile, the insured unemployment rate is unchanged at 1.2 percent for the week ending on February 14.
Americans who received unemployment benefits dipped to 1,833,000 during that period, a decrease of 31,000 from the previous week’s total of 1,864,000. The four-week moving average for continuing claims edged up to 1,847,500, an increase of 3,500 from the previous week’s revised average of 1,844,000.