National

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report for Week Ending Oct. 18, 2014


Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—October 23, 2014.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

In the week ending October 18, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 283,000, an increase of 17,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up by 2,000 from 264,000 to 266,000. The 4-week moving average was 281,000, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week’s revised average. This is the lowest level for this average since May 6, 2000 when it was 279,250. The previous week’s average was revised up by 500 from 283,500 to 284,000. There were no special factors impacting this week’s initial claims.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.8 percent for the week ending October 11, unchanged from the previous week’s unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending October 11 was 2,351,000, a decrease of 38,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 2,389,000. This is the lowest level for insured unemployment since December 23, 2000 when it was 2,340,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,381,000, a decrease of 22,750 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 2,403,750. This is the lowest level for this average since May 20, 2006 when it was 2,377,750.

UNADJUSTED DATA

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 255,483 in the week ending October 18, a decrease of 18,260 (or -6.7 percent) from the previous week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 33,552 (or -12.3 percent) from the previous week. There were 312,037 initial claims in the comparable week in 2013. The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.5 percent during the week ending October 11, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,002,933, a decrease of 15,988 (or -0.8 percent) from the preceding week.

The seasonal factors had expected an increase of 16,725 (or 0.8 percent) from the previous week. A year earlier the rate was 1.9 percent and the volume was 2,465,939. The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending October 4 was 2,073,549, a decrease of 15,056 from the previous week. There were 3,855,710 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2013. No state was triggered “on” the Extended Benefits program during the week ending October 4.

Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 2,012 in the week ending October 11, an increase of 473 from the prior week. There were 2,385 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 206 from the preceding week. There were 15,732 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending October 4, a decrease of 270 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 24,253, a decrease of 588 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending October 4 were in Puerto Rico (3.2), Alaska (2.8), New Jersey (2.7), Virgin Islands (2.7), California (2.3), Connecticut (2.3), Nevada (2.2), Massachusetts (2.1), Pennsylvania (2.1), and Rhode Island.

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending October 11 were in Pennsylvania (+4,013), Michigan (+3,210), Texas (+1,615), Washington (+1,064), and Maryland (+945), while the largest decreases were in Iowa (-1,229), Florida (-781), New York (-600), Oregon (-407), and Ohio (-394).

Source: dol.gov


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