03:11 PM EST, 01/30/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Weekly applications for unemployment insurance in the US dropped unexpectedly, while continuing claims also fell, government data showed Thursday.

The seasonally adjusted number of initial claims decreased by 16,000 to 207,000 in the week ended Jan. 25, according to the Department of Labor. The consensus was for a 225,000 print in a survey of analysts compiled by Bloomberg. The previous week's reading was left unrevised.

The four-week moving average came in at 212,500, dropping by 1,000 from the previous week's unrevised average. Weekly unadjusted claims declined by 56,963 to 227,362.

For the week ended Jan. 18, seasonally adjusted continuing claims totaled 1.86 million, compared with the Bloomberg consensus of 1.90 million. Continuing claims fell by 42,000 from the prior week's level, which was revised up by 1,000. The four-week moving average came in at 1.87 million, rising by 6,000 from the prior week's upwardly revised average, according to the DOL.

On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve left its benchmark lending rate unchanged following three straight cuts, while dropping a reference from its December statement that inflation had made progress. "The unemployment rate has stabilized at a low level in recent months, and labor market conditions remain solid," the FOMC said in a Wednesday statement.

The largest declines in initial jobless claims for the week ended Jan. 18 were in Michigan, at 9,351, followed by Texas and Ohio. California led the increases, according to DOL data.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released earlier this month showed that the economy added 256,000 jobs in December, topping a Bloomberg-compiled consensus for a 165,000 rise.

The official jobs report for January is due Feb. 7.