EconoIndicators

Jobless Claims At a Glance

• Initial Claims: 509,000
• Change from Last Week: Down 21,000
• 4-Week Moving Average: 524,500
• Insured Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
• Insured Unemployment: 4,087,000

All numbers seasonally adjusted.

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UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT
          SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

In the week ending Nov. 29, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 509,000, a decrease of 21,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 530,000. The 4-week moving average was 524,500, an increase of 6,250 from the previous week’s revised average of 518,250.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.1 percent for the week ending Nov. 22, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week’s unrevised rate of 3.0 percent.
The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending Nov. 22 was 4,087,000, an increase of 89,000 from the preceding week’s revised level of 3,998,000. The 4-week moving average was 4,001,750, an increase of 63,750 from the preceding week’s revised average of 3,938,000.  
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 529,941 in the week ending Nov. 29, a decrease of 78,974 from the previous week. There were 462,902 initial claims in the comparable week in 2007.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.7 percent during the week ending Nov. 22, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 3,649,809, a decrease of 132,069 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 2.1 percent and the volume was 2,725,542.
Extended benefits were available in North Carolina and Rhode Island during the week ending Nov. 15.
Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,950 in the week ending Nov. 22, an increase of 52 from the prior week. There were 1,830 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 245 from the preceding week.
There were 15,543 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending Nov. 15, an increase of 716 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 24,427, an increase of 1,110 from the prior week.
States reported 709,898 persons claiming EUC (Emergency Unemployment Compensation) benefits for the week ending Nov. 15, an increase of 1,815 from the prior week.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending Nov. 15 were in Puerto Rico (5.2 percent), Oregon (4.5), Michigan (4.0), Nevada (4.0), Alaska (3.9), California (3.8), Pennsylvania (3.8), Idaho (3.7), New Jersey (3.7), and South Carolina (3.6).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending Nov. 22 were in California (+10,882), Ohio (+6,658), Michigan (+6,611), Indiana (+6,501), and Missouri (+5,820), while the largest decreases were in Nebraska (-72), Utah (-37), the Virgin Islands (-8), and North Dakota (-4).

Source: Employment and Training Administration