Short-Term Unemployment (<5 wks)

Workers unemployed for less than 5 weeks — a real-time proxy for new layoff activity. A rising count signals fresh dismissals and often leads the headline unemployment rate at cycle turning points. Useful for separating structural unemployment (long-term) from cyclical weakness.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, accessed via ALFRED (Archival FRED). ALFRED archives each data point exactly as it was first published on release day — before any revision by the reporting agency. The figures shown here are what investors, traders, and policymakers were actually looking at when the data came out. Economic releases like payrolls, GDP, and inflation are often revised significantly in subsequent months; ALFRED lets you see the real-time picture.