FROM: U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending August 17, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 336,000, an increase of 13,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 323,000. The 4-week moving average was 330,500, a decrease of 2,250 from the previous week's revised average of 332,750.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent for the week ending August 10, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending August 10 was 2,999,000, an increase of 29,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,970,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,985,750, a decrease of 1,000 from the preceding week's revised average of 2,986,750.
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 279,026 in the week ending August 17, a decrease of 3,997 from the previous week. There were 311,857 initial claims in the comparable week in 2012.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.2 percent during the week ending August 10, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,876,094, an increase of 16,087 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,860,007. A year earlier, the rate was 2.5 percent and the volume was 3,167,174.
The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending August 3 was 4,438,656, a decrease of 148,207 from the previous week. There were 5,594,498 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2012.
No state was triggered "on" the Extended Benefits program the week ending August 3.
Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,437 in the week ending August 10, a decrease of 276 from the prior week. There were 2,361 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 126 from the preceding week.
There were 21,208 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending August 3, a decrease of 622 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 33,235, a decrease of 1,235 from the prior week.
States reported 1,501,068 persons claiming Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits for the week ending August 3, a decrease of 51,842 from the prior week. There were 2,326,635 persons claiming EUC in the comparable week in 2012. EUC weekly claims include first, second, third, and fourth tier activity.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending August 10 were in Puerto Rico (5.0), New Jersey (3.6), Alaska (3.5), Connecticut (3.4), New Mexico (3.2), Pennsylvania (3.2), California (3.0), Nevada (2.8), Rhode Island (2.8), and Virgin Islands (2.8).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending August 10 were in South Carolina (+907), New York (+762), Oregon (+685), Mississippi (+419), and Indiana (+400), while the largest decreases were in California (-4,105), Ohio (-1,554), Texas (-894), Florida (-881), and Georgia (-712).
