News Release
  
U.S. Department of Labor
Office of Public Affairs
Washington, D.C.
EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION USDL 04-16-NAT
   
   
Program Contact: TRANSMISSION OF MATERIAL IN THIS
Thomas Stengle (202) 693-2991 RELEASE IS EMBARGOED UNTIL
Media Contact : 8:30 A.M. (EST), THURSDAY
(202) 693-4676 January 15, 2004
 

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending Jan. 10, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 343,000, a decrease of 11,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 354,000. The 4-week moving average was 347,500, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average of 350,500.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.5 percent for the week ending Jan. 3, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate of 2.6 percent.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending Jan. 3 was 3,139,000, a decrease of 128,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 3,267,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,233,500, a decrease of 42,250 from the preceding week's revised average of 3,275,750.
 

UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 677,883 in the week ending Jan. 10, an increase of 128,233 from the previous week. There were 724,111 initial claims in the comparable week in 2003.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.3 percent during the week ending Jan. 3, an increase of 0.4 percentage point from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 4,175,184, an increase of 456,916 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 3.5 percent and the volume was 4,486,870.

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Extended benefits were available in Alaska, Michigan, Oregon, and Washington during the week ending Dec. 27.

53 states reported that 791,877 individuals filed continued claims under the Federal Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation (TEUC) program during the week ending Dec. 27.

Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,891 in the week ending Jan. 3, an increase of 522 from the prior week. There were 1,650 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 27 from the preceding week.

There were 25,088 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending Dec. 27, an increase of 4,388 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 26,397, an increase of 3,143 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending Dec. 27 were in Alaska (6.7 percent), Oregon (4.8), Idaho (4.6), Wisconsin (4.6), Washington (4.5), Michigan (4.2), Puerto Rico (4.1), Pennsylvania (4.0), Arkansas (3.7), South Carolina (3.7), and Vermont (3.7).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending Jan. 3 were in North Carolina (+20,872), New York (+20,490), South Carolina (+15,244), Tennessee (+10,669), and Georgia (+9,551), while the largest decreases were in Texas (-10,382), Illinois (-7,541), California (-5,688), Massachusetts (-5,377), and Pennsylvania (-5,095).

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UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE DATA FOR REGULAR STATE PROGRAMS
Advance Prior1
WEEK ENDING Jan. 10  Jan. 3 Change Dec. 27  Year
Initial Claims (SA) 343,000 354,000 -11,000 339,000 368,000
Initial Claims (NSA) 677,883 549,650 +128,233 516,544 724,111
4-Wk Moving Average (SA) 347,500 350,500 -3,000 355,750 389,000
Advance Prior1
WEEK ENDING Jan. 3 Dec. 27  Change Dec. 20 Year
Ins. Unemployment (SA) 3,139,000 3,267,000 -128,000 3,294,000 3,376,000
Ins. Unemployment (NSA) 4,175,184 3,718,268 +456,916 3,247,595 4,486,870
4-Wk Moving Average (SA) 3,233,500 3,275,750 -42,250 3,287,750 3,449,250
Ins. Unemployment Rate (SA)2 2.5% 2.6% -0.1 2.6% 2.7%
Ins. Unemployment Rate (NSA)2 3.3% 2.9% +0.4 2.6% 3.5%
INITIAL CLAIMS FILED IN FEDERAL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED)
       
Prior1
WEEK ENDING
Jan. 3
Dec. 27
Change
Year
Federal Employees 1,891 1,369 +522 1,877
Newly Discharged Veterans 1,650 1,623 +27 1,111
PERSONS CLAIMING UI BENEFITS IN FEDERAL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED)
Prior1
WEEK ENDING
Dec. 27
Dec. 20
Change
Year
Federal Employees 25,088 20,700 +4,388 23,826
Newly Discharged Veterans 26,397 23,254 +3,143 20,477
Railroad Retirement Board 3,000 3,000 0 6,000
Extended Benefits 23,661 26,606 -2,945 16,341
Federal (TEUC) 791,877 765,570 +26,307 804,019
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 126,250,343 as denominator.
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UNADJUSTED INITIAL CLAIMS FOR WEEK ENDED 01/03/2004 

STATES WITH A DECREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000 
State Change State Supplied Comment
TX -10,382 Fewer layoffs in the finance, information, and manufacturing industries.
IL -7,541 Fewer layoffs in the construction, service, and manufacturing industries.
CA -5,688 Fewer layoffs in the service industry.
MA -5,377 No comment.
PA -5,095 Fewer layoffs in the construction, service, food, and mining industry.
WI -5,079 Fewer layoffs in the construction, trade, service, transportation, communications, public utilities, and manufacturing industries.
MI -3,652 Fewer layoffs in the automobile industry.
OR -3,472 No comment.
IN -2,959 Fewer layoffs in the service industry.
AR -2,702 No comment.
MN -2,090 Fewer layoffs in the construction and manufacturing industries.
IA -1,955 No comment.
KS -1,764 Fewer layoffs in the trade, service, real estate, and manufacturing industries.
OH -1,267 No comment.
VT -1,035 No comment.
STATES WITH AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000 
KY +1,516 No comment.
MO +3,847 Layoffs in the construction, trade, service, and rubber/plastics industries.
CT +4,814 Layoffs in the construction, trade, service, and manufacturing industries, and agriculture.
AL +5,859 Layoffs in the textile, apparel, wood products, fabricated metals, and manufacturing industries.
GA +9,551 Layoffs in the textile industry.
TN +10,669 Layoffs in the industrial machinery, fabricated metals, electronic equipment, furniture, and service industries.
SC +15,244 Layoffs in the manufacturing industry.
NY +20,490 Increase is seasonal, school closings related.
NC +20,872 Layoffs in the textile, furniture, construction, service, lumber/wood, rubber/plastics, and industrial machinery industries.


State Detail Prior Week
UI Claims Series 1967 to current

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