U.S. initial jobless claims totaled 189,000 in the week through Oct. 31, down 6,000 from the prior week’s revised 195,000 and 8,000 below economists’ 197,000 forecast. The figure was roughly in line with the mid-July 1969 level, when claims reached a record low, and claims have generally remained below 200,000 since mid-September. Continuing claims rose 23,000 to 1.718 million in the week through Oct. 24, exceeding the 1.71 million forecast. The Labor Department uses initial claims as an indicator of labor-market overheating, with higher claims potentially signaling cooling conditions. Hiring growth has slowed somewhat while layoffs remain low, extending a low-hiring, low-layoff pattern. The four-week average fell to 194,750. Job openings rose to 1.06 per unemployed person in September from 1.02 in August, while some economists linked low claims partly to a smaller labor force amid an immigration crackdown. Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported 43,994 announced job cuts in October, up 2% from September but the lowest October total since 2023. Employers announced plans to hire 444,692 workers, the highest October total since 2009 and 57% above October 2025. The claims data fell outside the survey period for Friday’s employment report, which economists expected to show 65,000 payroll gains and a 4.2% unemployment rate.