FROM: U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending August 31, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 323,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 332,000. The 4-week moving average was 328,500, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average of 331,500.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent for the week ending August 24, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending August 24 was 2,951,000, a decrease of 43,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,994,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,979,500, a decrease of 18,000 from the preceding week's revised average of 2,997,500.
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 268,843 in the week ending August 31, a decrease of 9,781 from the previous week. There were 309,537 initial claims in the comparable week in 2012.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.1 percent during the week ending August 24, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,749,880, a decrease of 76,868 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,826,748. A year earlier, the rate was 2.4 percent and the volume was 3,085,324.
The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending August 17 was 4,395,712, a decrease of 72,061 from the previous week. There were 5,470,041 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 17.
Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,249 in the week ending August 24, an increase of 145 from the prior week. There were 2,303 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 139 from the preceding week.
There were 20,831 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending August 17, a decrease of 252 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 33,754, a decrease of 24 from the prior week.
States reported 1,494,742 persons claiming Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits for the week ending August 17, a decrease of 16,877 from the prior week. There were 2,263,614 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 24 were in Puerto Rico (4.5), New Jersey (3.6), Alaska (3.4), Connecticut (3.4), Pennsylvania (3.2), California (3.1), New Mexico (3.1), Rhode Island (2.9), Virgin Islands (2.8), Illinois (2.7), Nevada (2.7), and New York (2.7).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending August 24 were in New York (+3,568), Georgia (+903), Connecticut (+604), Michigan (+546), and Nevada (+388), while the largest decreases were in California (-2,544), Missouri (-1,713), Kansas (-915), Texas (-754), and New Jersey (-658).
