Analysis, National

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report for Week Ending February 25, 2017


Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—March 2, 2017

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

In the week ending February 25, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 223,000, a decrease of 19,000 from the previous week’s revised level. This is the lowest level for initial claims since March 31, 1973 when it was 222,000. The previous week’s level was revised down by 2,000 from 244,000 to 242,000. The 4-week moving average was 234,250, a decrease of 6,250 from the previous week’s revised average. This is the lowest level for this average since April 14, 1973 when it was 232,750. The previous week’s average was revised down by 500 from 241,000 to 240,500.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.5 percent for the week ending February 18, unchanged from the previous week’s unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending February 18 was 2,066,000, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up 3,000 from 2,060,000 to 2,063,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,071,250, an increase of 750 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised up by 750 from 2,069,750 to 2,070,500.

UNADJUSTED DATA

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 213,114 in the week ending February 25, a decrease of 26,208 (or -11.0 percent) from the previous week. The seasonal  factors had expected a decrease of 8,002 (or -3.3 percent) from the previous week. There were 265,802 initial claims in the comparable week in 2016.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.7 percent during the week ending February 18, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,394,151, a decrease of 95,531 (or -3.8 percent) from the preceding week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 99,010 (or -4.0 percent) from the previous week. A year earlier the rate was 2.0 percent and the volume was 2,670,398.

The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending February 11 was 2,533,393, an increase of 24,608 from the previous week. There were 2,659,413 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2016.

No state was triggered “on” the Extended Benefits program during the week ending February 11.

Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 728 in the week ending February 18, a decrease of 160 from the prior week. There were 810 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 12 from the preceding week.

There were 13,598 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending February 11, a decrease of 1,161 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 11,797, a decrease of 60 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending February 11 were in Alaska (4.4), New Jersey (3.2), Montana (3.1), Connecticut (3.0), Pennsylvania (2.9), Rhode Island (2.8), Illinois (2.7), Massachusetts (2.7), Puerto Rico (2.7), and California (2.6).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending February 18 were in Michigan (+1,631), New Jersey (+1,223), Missouri (+913), Massachusetts (+662), and Connecticut (+570), while the largest decreases were in Ohio (-1,206), Texas (-811), Washington (-802), Virginia (-779), and California (-749).

Source: www.dol.gov

 


ARCHIVES