Please note: As of January 20, 2021, information in some news releases may be out of date or not reflect current policies.
News Release
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending March 28, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 669,000, an increase of 12,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 657,000. The 4-week moving average was 656,750, an increase of 6,500 from the previous week's revised average of 650,250.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 4.3 percent for the week ending March 21, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate of 4.2 percent.
The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending March 21 was 5,728,000, an increase of 161,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 5,567,000. The 4-week moving average was 5,496,500, an increase of 163,500 from the preceding week's revised average of 5,333,000.
The fiscal year-to-date average for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment for all programs is 4.700 million.
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 594,464 in the week ending March 28, an increase of 4,397 from the previous week. There were 341,846 initial claims in the comparable week in 2008.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 4.8 percent during the week ending March 21, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 6,369,289, a decrease of 71,241 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 2.4 percent and the volume was 3,235,768.
Extended benefits were available in Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin during the week ending March 14.
Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,053 in the week ending March 21, a decrease of 45 from the prior week. There were 1,664 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 175 from the preceding week.
There were 19,599 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending March 14, an increase of 921 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 28,706, a decrease of 353 from the prior week.
States reported 1,515,094 persons claiming EUC (Emergency Unemployment Compensation) benefits for the week ending March 14, an increase of 46,427 from the prior week.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending March 14 were in Michigan (8.1 percent), Oregon (7.7), Rhode Island (7.3), Idaho (7.2), Pennsylvania (7.0), Wisconsin (6.8), Nevada (6.3), Montana (6.1), Alaska (6.0), and Vermont (6.0).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending March 21 were in California (+6,720), Missouri (+2,942), Kansas (+2,018), Oklahoma (+1,406), and Iowa (+1,134), while the largest decreases were in Texas (-4,822), New York (-3,172), Tennessee (-2,707), Illinois (-1,485), and Virginia (-1,407).
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE DATA FOR REGULAR STATE PROGRAMS
| Advance |
|
|
| Prior1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WEEK ENDING | March 28 | March 21 | Change | March 14 | Year |
Initial Claims (SA) | 669,000 | 657,000 | +12,000 | 644,000 | 389,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Initial Claims (NSA) | 594,464 | 590,067 | +4,397 | 601,193 | 341,846 |
4-Wk Moving Average (SA) | 656,750 | 650,250 | +6,500 | 650,000 | 367,750 |
| Advance |
|
|
| Prior1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WEEK ENDING | March 21 | March 14 | Change | March 7 | Year |
Ins. Unemployment (SA) | 5,728,000 | 5,567,000 | +161,000 | 5,438,000 | 2,926,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ins. Unemployment (NSA) | 6,369,289 | 6,440,530 | -71,241 | 6,357,336 | 3,235,768 |
4-Wk Moving Average (SA) | 5,496,500 | 5,333,000 | +163,500 | 5,207,500 | 2,842,500 |
Ins. Unemployment Rate (SA)2 | 4.3% | 4.2% | +0.1 | 4.1% | 2.2% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ins. Unemployment Rate (NSA)2 | 4.8% | 4.8% | 0.0 | 4.7% | 2.4% |
INITIAL CLAIMS FILED IN FEDERAL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED)
|
|
|
| Prior1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
WEEK ENDING | March 21 | March 14 | Change | Year |
Federal Employees | 1,053 | 1,098 | -45 | 763 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Newly Discharged Veterans | 1,664 | 1,839 | -175 | 1,274 |
PERSONS CLAIMING UI BENEFITS IN FEDERAL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED)
|
|
|
| Prior1 |
WEEK ENDING | March 14 | March 7 | Change | Year |
Federal Employees | 19,599 | 18,678 | +921 | 15,445 |
Newly Discharged Veterans | 28,706 | 29,059 | -353 | 22,158 |
Railroad Retirement Board | 10,000 | 10,000 | 0 | 3,000 |
Extended Benefits | 7,381 | 6,642 | +739 | 0 |
EUC 2008 | 1,515,094 | 1,468,667 | +46,427 | 0 |
FOOTNOTES SA - Seasonally Adjusted Data NSA - Not Seasonally Adjusted Data 1 - Prior year is comparable to most recent data. 2 - Most recent week used covered employment of 133,886,830 as denominator.
UNADJUSTED INITIAL CLAIMS FOR WEEK ENDED 03/21/2009
STATES WITH A DECREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000
State | Change |
| State Supplied Comment |
TX | -4,822 |
| Fewer layoffs in the trade, service, transportation, and manufacturing industries. |
NY | -3,172 |
| Fewer layoffs in the construction, trade, and service industries. |
TN | -2,707 |
| Fewer layoffs in the trade, service, and manufacturing industries. |
IL | -1,485 |
| Fewer layoffs in the trade, service, and manufacturing industries. |
VA | -1,407 |
| Fewer layoffs in the automobile and manufacturing industries. |
PA | -1,232 |
| Fewer layoffs in the primary metals, mining, machinery, and service industries. |
NC | -1,193 |
| Fewer layoffs in the construction industry. |
STATES WITH AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000
State | Change |
| State Supplied Comment |
IA | +1,134 |
| Layoffs in the finance and manufacturing industries. |
OK | +1,406 |
| No comment. |
KS | +2,018 |
| No comment. |
MO | +2,942 |
| Layoffs in the transportation, warehousing, and manufacturing industries. |
CA | +6,720 |
| Layoffs in the construction and service industries. |
State Detail Prior WeekUI Claims Series 1967 to current
This information will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-693-4676. TDD Message Phone: 1-800-326-2577. News releases from the U.S. Department of Labor are accessible on the Internet at: http://www.dol.gov/ and http://www.ows.doleta.gov/