FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending August 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 331,000, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 337,000. The 4-week moving average was 331,250, an increase of 750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 330,500.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent for the week ending August 17, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending August 17 was 2,989,000, a decrease of 14,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 3,003,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,996,250, an increase of 9,500 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 277,359 in the week ending August 24, a decrease of 2,959 from the previous week. There were 312,542 initial claims in the comparable week in 2012.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.2 percent during the week ending August 17, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,821,658, a decrease of 58,419 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,880,077. A year earlier, the rate was 2.4 percent and the volume was 3,117,558.
The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending August 10 was 4,467,574, an increase of 28,918 from the previous week. There were 5,530,828 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2012.
No state was triggered "on" the Extended Benefits program during the week ending August 10.
Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,104 in the week ending August 17, a decrease of 333 from the prior week. There were 2,164 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 197 from the preceding week.
There were 21,083 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending August 10, a decrease of 125 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 33,778, an increase of 543 from the prior week.
States reported 1,511,619 persons claiming Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits for the week ending August 10, an increase of 10,551 from the prior week. There were 2,273,317 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 17 were in Puerto Rico (4.7), New Jersey (3.6), Alaska (3.4), Connecticut (3.4), California (3.3), Pennsylvania (3.2), New Mexico (3.1), Virgin Islands (3.1), Nevada (2.8), and Rhode Island (2.8).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending August 17 were in California (+5,867), Missouri (+1,757), New Jersey (+677), Kansas (+460), and New York (+445), while the largest decreases were in North Carolina (-1,017), Pennsylvania (-899), Maryland (-722), Washington (-720), and Florida (-601).
