Initial Claims Down 2,000
Initial claims for unemployment insurance edged back toward pre-pandemic levels after hitting a five-month high earlier this spring, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
For the week ending June 18, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims fell to 229,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week’s level, which revised up by 2,000 from 229,000 to 231,000. The four-week moving average rose to 223,500, an increase of 4,500 from the previous week’s revised average.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was unchanged at 0.9 percent for the week ending June 11. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending June 11 rose to 1,315,000, an increase of 5,000 from the previous week, which revised down by 2,000 from 1,312,000 to 1,310,000. The 4-week moving average fell to 1,310,000, a decrease of 7,000 from the previous week’s revised average to its lowest level since January 3, 1970, when it was 1,280,250.
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 202,844 in the week ending June 18, a decrease of 3,255 (1.6 percent) from the previous week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 1,388 (0.7 percent) from the previous week. Labor reported 398,284 initial claims in the comparable week in 2021.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was unchanged at 0.9 percent during the week ending June 11. The advance unadjusted level of insured unemployment in state programs totaled 1,272,753, an increase of 1,796 (0.1 percent) from the preceding week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 2,621 (0.2 percent) from the previous week. A year earlier the rate was 2.3 percent; volume was 3,232,185.
The total number of continued weeks claimed for benefits in all programs for the week ending June 4 rose to 1,296,581, an increase of 14,479 from the previous week. Labor reported 14,839,818 weekly claims filed for benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2021.
