Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—May 7, 2015
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending May 2, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 265,000, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 262,000. The 4-week moving average was 279,500, a decrease of 4,250 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 283,750. This is the lowest level for this average since May 6, 2000 when it was 279,250.
There were no special factors impacting this week’s initial claims.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.7 percent for the week ending April 25, unchanged from the previous week’s unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending April 25 was 2,228,000, a decrease of 28,000 from the previous week’s revised level. This is the lowest level for insured unemployment since November 11, 2000 when it was 2,161,000.
The previous week’s level was revised up 3,000 from 2,253,000 to 2,256,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,271,500, a decrease of 20,000 from the previous week’s revised average. This is the lowest level for this average since December 9, 2000 when it was 2,266,500. The previous week’s average was revised up by 750 from 2,290,750 to 2,291,500.
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 235,704 in the week ending May 2, a decrease of 15,076 (or -6.0 percent) from the previous week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 17,295 (or -6.9 percent) from the previous week. There were 288,748 initial claims in the comparable week in 2014.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.6 percent during the week ending April 25, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,199,211, a decrease of 81,853 (or -3.6 percent) from the preceding week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 54,150 (or -2.4 percent) from the previous week. A year earlier the rate was 2.0 percent and the volume was 2,641,583.
The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending April 18 was 2,334,281, a decrease of 105,948 from the previous week. There were 2,832,693 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2014.
No state was triggered “on” the Extended Benefits program during the week ending April 18.
Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 827 in the week ending April 25, an increase of 33 from the prior week. There were 1,267 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 59 from the preceding week.
There were 12,246 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending April 18, a decrease of 115 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 20,638, an increase of 71 from the prior week.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending April 18 were in Alaska (3.6), Connecticut (2.8), New Jersey (2.8), California (2.7), Puerto Rico (2.7), Pennsylvania (2.5), Massachusetts (2.3), West Virginia (2.3), Illinois (2.2), Nevada (2.2), Rhode Island (2.2), and Wyoming (2.2).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending April 25 were in Massachusetts (+4,518), Rhode Island (+2,099), Georgia (+704), Ohio (+520), and Illinois (+493), while the largest decreases were in New York (-17,505), California (-4,218), Michigan (-4,179), Connecticut (-1,934), and Pennsylvania (-1,750).
Source: dol.gov
