Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–April 7, 2016
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending April 2, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 267,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 276,000. The 4-week moving average was 266,750, an increase of 3,500 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 263,250.
There were no special factors impacting this week’s initial claims.
This marks 57 consecutive weeks of initial claims below 300,000, the longest streak since 1973.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.6 percent for the week ending March 26, unchanged from the previous week’s unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending March 26 was 2,191,000, an increase of 19,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised down by 1,000 from 2,173,000 to 2,172,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,188,750, a decrease of 1,750 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised down by 250 from 2,190,750 to 2,190,500.
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 246,023 in the week ending April 2, an increase of 10,307 (or 4.4 percent) from the previous week. The seasonal factors had expected an increase of 18,515 (or 7.9 percent) from the previous week. There were 253,533 initial claims in the comparable week in 2015. The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.7 percent during the week ending March 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 2,377,230, a decrease of 31,869 (or -1.3 percent) from the preceding week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 52,136 (or -2.2 percent) from the previous week. A year earlier the rate was 1.9 percent and the volume was 2,476,255.
The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending March 19 was 2,454,956, a decrease of 83,120 from the previous week. There were 2,618,003 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 March 19.
Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 613 in the week ending March 26, a decrease of 12 from the prior week. There were 999 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 36 from the preceding week.
There were 11,775 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending March 19, an increase of 84 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 14,285, an increase of 42 from the prior week.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending March 19 were in Alaska (4.2), New Jersey (3.0), Wyoming (3.0), West Virginia (2.9), Connecticut (2.7), Montana (2.7), Pennsylvania (2.7), California (2.6), Illinois (2.6), and Massachusetts (2.6).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending March 26 were in Pennsylvania (+2,058), New Jersey (+1,457), Ohio (+1,433), New York (+1,359), and Arkansas (+1,156), while the largest decreases were in Puerto Rico (-1,415), Indiana (-908), Connecticut (-689), Michigan (-613), and California (-538)
Source: http://www.dol.gov
