UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending April 4, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 654,000, a decrease of 20,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 674,000. The 4-week moving average was 657,250, a decrease of 750 from the previous week's revised average of 658,000.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 4.4 percent for the week ending March 28, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate of 4.3 percent.
The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending March 28 was 5,840,000, an increase of 95,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 5,745,000. The 4-week moving average was 5,647,500, an increase of 146,750 from the preceding week's revised average of 5,500,750.
The fiscal year-to-date average for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment for all programs is 4.753 million.
UNADJUSTED DATA The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 618,451 in the week ending April 4, an increase of 19,149 from the previous week. There were 357,206 initial claims in the comparable week in 2008.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 4.8 percent during the week ending March 28, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 6,441,315, an increase of 52,545 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 2.4 percent and the volume was 3,200,533.
Extended benefits were available in Alaska, California, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin during the week ending March 21.
Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,078 in the week ending March 28, an increase of 25 from the prior week. There were 1,831 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 167 from the preceding week.
There were 18,081 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending March 21, a decrease of 1,518 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 28,448, a decrease of 258 from the prior week.
States reported 1,536,256 persons claiming EUC (Emergency Unemployment Compensation) benefits for the week ending March 21, an increase of 21,162 from the prior week.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending March 21 were in Michigan (7.7 percent), Oregon (7.6), Rhode Island (7.5), Puerto Rico (7.2), Idaho (7.0), Wisconsin (6.9), Pennsylvania (6.5), Montana (6.0), Nevada (6.0), and Vermont (6.0).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending March 28 were in Kentucky (+5,029), Michigan (+4,428), Illinois (+3,498), Ohio (+3,000), and Tennessee (+2,718), while the largest decreases were in California (-7,057), Pennsylvania (-3,302), Missouri (-2,193), Kansas (-1,726), and Minnesota (-1,559).
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE DATA FOR REGULAR STATE PROGRAMS Advance Prior1 WEEK ENDING April 4 March 28 Change March 21 Year Initial Claims (SA) 654,000 674,000 -20,000 657,000 358,000 Initial Claims (NSA) 618,451 599,302 +19,149 590,067 357,206 4-Wk Moving Average (SA) 657,250 658,000 -750 650,250 370,250 Advance Prior1 WEEK ENDING March 28 March 21 Change March 14 Year Ins. Unemployment (SA) 5,840,000 5,745,000 +95,000 5,567,000 2,923,000 Ins. Unemployment (NSA) 6,441,315 6,388,770 +52,545 6,440,530 3,200,533 4-Wk Moving Average (SA) 5,647,500 5,500,750 +146,750 5,333,000 2,879,750 Ins. Unemployment Rate (SA)2 4.4% 4.3% +0.1 4.2% 2.2% Ins. Unemployment Rate (NSA)2 4.8% 4.8% 0.0 4.8% 2.4% INITIAL CLAIMS FILED IN FEDERAL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED) Prior1 WEEK ENDING March 28 March 21 Change Year Federal Employees 1,078 1,053 +25 787 Newly Discharged Veterans 1,831 1,664 +167 1,411 PERSONS CLAIMING UI BENEFITS IN FEDERAL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED) Prior1 WEEK ENDING March 21 March 14 Change Year Federal Employees 18,081 19,599 -1,518 13,446 Newly Discharged Veterans 28,448 28,706 -258 22,026 Railroad Retirement Board 9,000 9,000 0 3,000 Extended Benefits 10,006 7,381 +2,625 0 EUC 2008 1,536,256 1,515,094 +21,162 0 FOOTNOTES SA - Seasonally Adjusted Data NSA - Not Seasonally Adjusted Data 1 - Prior year is comparable to most recent data. 2 - Most recent week used covered employment of 133,886,830 as denominator.
UNADJUSTED INITIAL CLAIMS FOR WEEK ENDED 03/28/2009 STATES WITH A DECREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000 State Change State Supplied Comment CA -7,057 Fewer layoffs in the service and manufacturing industries.
PA -3,302 Fewer layoffs in the food, construction, and service industries.
MO -2,193 Fewer layoffs in the transportation, warehousing, and manufacturing industries.
KS -1,726 No comment.
MN -1,559 No comment.
MD -1,405 No comment.
NJ -1,391 Fewer layoffs in the trade and service industries.
NC -1,197 Fewer layoffs in the transportation equipment, electrical equipment, electronic equipment, computer equipment, and industrial machinery industries.
TX -1,152 Fewer layoffs in the trade, service, information, and manufacturing industries.
STATES WITH AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000 State Change State Supplied Comment WA +1,252 Layoffs in the information and manufacturing industries.
MS +1,288 Layoffs in the manufacturing industry.
VA +1,580 Layoffs in the automobile and manufacturing industries.
AR +1,942 Layoffs in the manufacturing industry.
IN +2,140 Layoffs in the automobile industry.
WI +2,173 Layoffs in the construction, trade, service, transportation, warehousing, and manufacturing industries.
OR +2,434 Layoffs in the construction and manufacturing industries.
AL +2,555 Layoffs in the industrial machinery and service industries.
TN +2,718 Layoffs in the trade and manufacturing industries.
OH +3,000 Layoffs in the manufacturing industry.
IL +3,498 No comment.
MI +4,428 Layoffs in the automobile industry.
KY +5,029 Layoffs in the automobile, trade, and manufacturing industries.
State Detail Prior Week UI Claims Series 1967 to current This information will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-693-4676. TDD Message Phone: 1-800-326-2577. News releases from the U.S. Department of Labor are accessible on the Internet at: http://www.dol.gov/ and http://www.ows.doleta.gov/
