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Seasonally Adjusted Data
In the week ending May 3, the advance figure for seasonally
adjusted initial claims was 347,000, unchanged from the previous
week's unrevised figure of 347,000. The 4-week moving average was
336,250, an increase of 5,750 from the previous week's unrevised
average of 330,500.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.0 percent for the week ending April 26, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's revised rate of 1.9 percent.
The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment
during the week ending April 26 was 2,315,000, an increase of
66,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,249,000. The 4-
week moving average was 2,280,250, an increase of 5,500 from the
preceding week's revised average of 2,274,750.
Unadjusted Data
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs,
unadjusted, totaled 294,085 in the week ending May 3, a decrease of
3,003 from the previous week. There were 298,214 initial claims in
the comparable week in 1996.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.0 percent
during the week ending April 26, unchanged from the prior week. The
advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state
programs totaled 2,349,788, an increase of 24,373 from the
preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 2.3 percent and the
volume was 2,588,512.
Extended benefits were available in Alaska during the week ending
April 19.
Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees
totaled 1,473 in the week ending April 26, a decrease of 37 from
the prior week. There were 1,615 initial claims by newly discharged
veterans, a decrease of 39 from the preceding week.
There were 19,540 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI
benefits for the week ending April 19, a decrease of 1,810 from the
previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled
20,150, a decrease of 360 from the prior week.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending April 19
were in Alaska (6.1 percent), Puerto Rico (5.4), Rhode Island
(4.1), Montana (3.4), Vermont (3.4), California (3.1), Maine (3.1),
Oregon (3.1), Washington (3.1), Idaho (2.9), and Pennsylvania
(2.9).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending April
26 were in North Dakota (+6,729), Massachusetts (+3,707), New
Jersey (+2,303), Louisiana (+2,216), and Texas (+2,071), while the
largest decreases were in California (<196>2,202), Missouri
(<196>1,836), Puerto Rico (<196>1,737), North Carolina
(<196>1,159), and Rhode Island (<196>840).
May 8, 1997
U.S. Department of Labor
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