Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—May 8, 2014.
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
There were no special factors impacting this week’s initial claims.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.0 percent for the week ending April 26, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the previous week’s unrevised rate of 2.1 percent. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending April 26 was 2,685,000, a decrease of 76,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised down by 10,000 from 2,771,000 to 2,761,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,715,250, a decrease of 16,250 from the previous week’s revised average. This is the lowest level for this average since December 22, 2007 when it was 2,700,000. The previous week’s average was revised down by 2,500 from 2,734,000 to 2,731,500.
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 286,916 in the week ending May 3, a decrease of 31,211 (or – 9.8 percent) from the previous week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 7,591 (or – 2.4 percent) from the previous week. There were 301,602 initial claims in the comparable week in 2013.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.0 percent during the week ending April 26, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,649,889, a decrease of 116,617 (or – 4.2 percent) from the preceding week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 41,415 (or – 1.5 percent) from the previous week. A year earlier the rate was 2.3 percent and the volume was 2,963,249.
The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending April 19 was 2,832,693, an increase of 10,353 from the previous week. There were 4,866,804 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 April 19.
Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,269 in the week ending April 26, an increase of 320 from the prior week. There were 1,554 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 65 from the preceding week.
There were 14,687 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending April 19, a decrease of 428 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 26,004, a decrease of 54 from the prior week.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending April 19 were in Alaska (4.9), New Jersey (3.5), Connecticut (3.4), Puerto Rico (3.3), California (3.2), Illinois (3.0), Pennsylvania (3.0), Nevada (2.9), Maine (2.6), and Michigan (2.6).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending April 26 were in New York (+23,523), Massachusetts (+3,983), Rhode Island (+1,080), Oregon (+959), and Delaware (+956), while the largest decreases were in Michigan (-6,642), New Jersey (-2,269), Pennsylvania (-1,704), Maryland (-1,670), and California (-1,237).
Source: dol.gov
