In the week ending Nov. 29, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 303,000, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 306,000. The 4-week moving average was 314,000, a decrease of 3,250 from the previous week's revised average of 317,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.9 percent for the week ending Nov. 22, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's revised rate of 1.8 percent.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending Nov. 22 was 2,212,000, an increase of 56,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,156,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,204,250, a decrease of 7,000 from the preceding week's revised average of 2,211,250.

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 290,856 in the week ending Nov. 29, a decrease of 53,843 from the previous week. There were 328,185 initial claims in the comparable week in 1996.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.6 percent during the week ending Nov. 22, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 1,838,408, a decrease of 153,375 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 1.8 percent and the volume was 2,042,382.

Extended benefits were available in Puerto Rico during the week ending Nov. 15.

Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 2,107 in the week ending Nov. 22, a decrease of 201 from the prior week. There were 1,486 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 81 from the preceding week.

There were 26,741 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending Nov. 15, a decrease of 236 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 18,216, an increase of 796 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending Nov. 15 were in Puerto Rico (6.4 percent), Alaska (5.1), Washington (2.9), Rhode Island (2.8), California (2.7), Pennsylvania (2.7), Arkansas (2.6), Oregon (2.6), Hawaii (2.4), and New Jersey (2.3).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending Nov. 22 were in Michigan (+5,370), Pennsylvania (+3,410), Washington (+2,744), New York (+2,743), and Illinois (+2,568), while the largest decreases were in Colorado (—1,667), Alabama (—1,044), Arkansas (—419), Texas (—232), and Missouri (—119).

December 4, 1997U.S. Department of Labor

Statistics

12/02 CHICAGO BOT DELIVERABLE GRAIN STOCKS

12/02 REDBOOK RETAIL AVERAGES Retail Sales Index

12/04 UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT

12/01 U.S. EXPORT INSPECTIONS

12/04 EXPORT SALES REPORT

12/01 NAPM REPORT ON BUSINESS

12/02 COMPOSITE INDEXES OF LEADING, COINCIDENT, AND LAGGING OCTOBER 1997

12/02 OUTLOOK FOR U.S. AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS

12/01 OCTOBER 1997 CONSTRUCTION AT $605.5 BILLION ANNUAL RATE

12/04 HOUSING COMPLETIONS SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

12/03 OCTOBER 1997 NEW HOUSING SALES AT ANNUAL RATE OF 797,000

12/04 PRODUCTIVITY AND COSTS Third Quarter 1997

12/05 THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION NOVEMBER 1997

12/05 MANUFACTURERS' SHIPMENTS INVENTORIES AND ORDERS OCTOBER 1997

Consensus National Futures and Financial On Line Index

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