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November 4, 2008    DOL Home > Newsroom > News Releases   

EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION

USDL 04-889-NAT

 

 

 

 

Program Contact:

TRANSMISSION OF MATERIAL IN THIS

Thomas Stengle (202) 693-2991

RELEASE IS EMBARGOED UNTIL

Media Contact :

8:30 A.M. (EDT), THURSDAY

(202) 693-4676

May 20, 2004

 

 

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT

          SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

In the week ending May 15, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 345,000, an increase of 12,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 333,000. The 4-week moving average was 333,500, a decrease of 2,750 from the previous week's revised average of 336,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent for the week ending May 8, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate of 2.4 percent.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending May 8 was 2,943,000, a decrease of 23,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,966,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,957,000, a decrease of 15,500 from the preceding week's revised average of 2,972,500.
 

UNADJUSTED DATA

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 295,220 in the week ending May 15, an increase of 2,662 from the previous week. There were 362,276 initial claims in the comparable week in 2003.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.2 percent during the week ending May 8, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,781,403, a decrease of 57,480 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 2.7 percent and the volume was 3,459,502.

 

Extended benefits were available in Alaska during the week ending May 1.

17,142 individuals filed continued claims under the Federal Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation (TEUC) program during the week ending May 1.

Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,199 in the week ending May 8, an increase of 208 from the prior week. There were 1,780 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 198 from the preceding week.

There were 15,688 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending May 1, an increase of 870 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 25,740, a decrease of 96 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending May 1 were in Alaska (5.2 percent), Puerto Rico (5.1), Oregon (3.5), Michigan (3.2), New Jersey (3.2), Pennsylvania (3.1), Washington (3.0), California (2.9), Massachusetts (2.8), Rhode Island (2.7), and Wisconsin (2.7).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending May 8 were in North Carolina (+1,765), California (+1,730), Minnesota (+1,541), Michigan (+1,467), and Mississippi (+1,462), while the largest decreases were in Oklahoma (-2,150), Connecticut (-1,509), Maine (-661), Missouri (-609), and New York (-467).

 


UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE DATA FOR REGULAR STATE PROGRAMS


 

Advance

 

 

 

Prior1

WEEK ENDING

May 15 

May 8

Change

May 1 

Year


Initial Claims (SA)

345,000

333,000

+12,000

318,000

424,000

Initial Claims (NSA)

295,220

292,558

+2,662

283,236

362,276

4-Wk Moving Average (SA)

333,500

336,250

-2,750

343,500

426,000

 

Advance

 

 

 

Prior1

WEEK ENDING

May 8

May 1 

Change

April 24

Year


Ins. Unemployment (SA)

2,943,000

2,966,000

-23,000

2,915,000

3,653,000

Ins. Unemployment (NSA)

2,781,403

2,838,883

-57,480

2,915,357

3,459,502

4-Wk Moving Average (SA)

2,957,000

2,972,500

-15,500

2,972,750

3,654,500


Ins. Unemployment Rate (SA)2

2.3%

2.4%

-0.1

2.3%

2.9%

Ins. Unemployment Rate (NSA)2

2.2%

2.3%

-0.1

2.3%

2.7%


INITIAL CLAIMS FILED IN FEDERAL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED)


 

 

 

 

Prior1

WEEK ENDING

May 8

May 1

Change

Year


Federal Employees

1,199

991

+208

1,148

Newly Discharged Veterans

1,780

1,582

+198

1,282


PERSONS CLAIMING UI BENEFITS IN FEDERAL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED)


 

 

 

 

Prior1

WEEK ENDING

May 1

April 24

Change

Year


Federal Employees

15,688

14,818

+870

14,440

Newly Discharged Veterans

25,740

25,836

-96

17,510

Railroad Retirement Board

2,000

2,000

0

3,000

Extended Benefits

2,442

2,421

+21

16,629

Federal (TEUC)

17,142

20,647

-3,505

830,037


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 126,084,041 as denominator.

 

UNADJUSTED INITIAL CLAIMS FOR WEEK ENDED 05/08/2004 


STATES WITH A DECREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000 


State

Change

 

State Supplied Comment

OK

-2,150

 

No comment.

CT

-1,509

 

No comment.



STATES WITH AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000 


State

Change

 

State Supplied Comment

FL

+1,004

 

Layoffs in the construction, trade, and service industries, and agriculture.

GA

+1,224

 

Layoffs in the trade industry.

PA

+1,413

 

Layoffs in the construction, trade, service, and real estate industries.

MS

+1,462

 

Layoffs in the manufacturing industry.

MI

+1,467

 

Layoffs in the automobile industry.

MN

+1,541

 

Layoffs in the manufacturing industry.

CA

+1,730

 

Layoffs in the service industry.

NC

+1,765

 

Layoffs in the textile, apparel, and service industries.




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