The following is the unedited transcript of the news release from the U.S. Department of Labor.


SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

In the week ending Jan. 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 322,000, a decrease of 15,000 from the previous week''s revised figure of 337,000. The 4-week moving average was 341,000, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week''s revised average of 344,000.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.0% for the week ending Dec. 29, a decrease of 0.1% the last week unrevised rate of 2.1%.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending Dec. 29 was 2,702,000, a decrease of 52,000 from the preceding week''s revised level of 2,754,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,701,750, an increase of 17,000 from the preceding week''s revised average of 2,684,750.

UNADJUSTED DATA

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 522,392 in the week ending Jan. 5, an increase of 10,888 from the previous week. There were 506,059 initial claims in the comparable week in 2007.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.5 percent during the week ending Dec. 29, an increase of 0.4 percentage point from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 3,290,775, an increase of 478,540 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 2.3 percent and the volume was 3,007,436.

Extended benefits were not available in any state during the week ending Dec. 22.

Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,444 in the week ending Dec. 29, a decrease of 411 from the prior week. There were 963 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 542 from the preceding week.

There were 18,262 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending Dec. 22, an increase of 1,464 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 22,902, a decrease of 1,190 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending Dec. 22 were in Alaska (4.1 percent), Michigan (3.8), Puerto Rico (3.3), Oregon (3.2), Pennsylvania (3.1), Wisconsin (3.1), Arkansas (3.0), Idaho (3.0), Rhode Island (3.0), Massachusetts (2.9), and New Jersey (2.9).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending Dec. 29 were in Michigan (+18,482), Wisconsin (+18,047), Pennsylvania (+14,632), Iowa (+8,339), and New Jersey (+6,859), while the largest decreases were in California (-14,453), Texas (-8,624), Florida (-5,627), Missouri (-5,493), and Illinois (-3,310).


Available at:

http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/ui/current.htm