Analysis, National

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report for Week Ending Dec. 24, 2016


Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—December 29, 2016

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

In the week ending December 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 265,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 275,000. The 4-week moving average was 263,000, a decrease of 750 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 263,750.

There were no special factors impacting this week’s initial claims. This marks 95 consecutive weeks of initial claims below 300,000, the longest streak since 1970.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.5 percent for the week ending December 17, unchanged from the previous week’s unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending December 17 was 2,102,000, an increase of 63,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up 3,000 from 2,036,000 to 2,039,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,042,250, an increase of 4,500 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised up by 750 from 2,037,000 to 2,037,750.

UNADJUSTED DATA

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 340,022 in the week ending December 24, an increase of 24,915 (or 7.9 percent) from the previous week. The seasonal factors had expected an increase of 37,945 (or 12.0 percent) from the previous week. There were 346,542 initial claims in the comparable week in 2015.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.5 percent during the week ending December 17, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,108,467, an increase of 10,797 (or 0.5 percent) from the preceding week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 53,002 (or -2.5 percent) from the previous week. A year earlier the rate was 1.6 percent and the volume was 2,191,682.

The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending December 10 was 2,140,465, an increase of 102,430 from the previous week. There were 2,336,519 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2015.

No state was triggered “on” the Extended Benefits program during the week ending December 10.

Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,313 in the week ending December 17, an increase of 225 from the prior week. There were 947 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 136 from the preceding week.

There were 14,066 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending December 10, an increase of 2,060 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 13,250, an increase of 722 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending December 10 were in Alaska (4.8), Montana (2.6), New Jersey (2.5), Puerto Rico (2.4), California (2.3), Pennsylvania (2.3), Connecticut (2.2), Wyoming (2.2), the Virgin Islands (2.1), and West Virginia (2.1).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending December 17 were in Ohio (+2,625), Wisconsin (+2,083), Michigan (+1,683), Massachusetts (+1,510), and New Jersey (+1,380), while the largest decreases were in Pennsylvania (-1,521), Georgia (-1,500), Colorado (-818), Florida (-808), and West Virginia (-737).

Source: www.dol.gov

 


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