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


SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

In the week ending May 3, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 365,000, a decrease of 18,000 from the previous week''s revised figure of 383,000. The 4-week moving average was 367,000, an increase of 2,500 from the previous week''s revised average of 364,500.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent for the week ending April 26, unchanged from the prior week''s unrevised rate of 2.3 percent.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending April 26 was 3,020,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the preceding week''s revised level of 3,030,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,998,750, an increase of 16,750 from the preceding week''s revised average of 2,982,000.

The fiscal year-to-date average for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment for all programs is 2,828,234.

UNADJUSTED DATA

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 332,984 in the week ending May 3, a decrease of 5,422 from the previous week. There were 274,801 initial claims in the comparable week in 2007.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.2 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 2,944,507, a decrease of 42,895 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 1.9 percent and the volume was 2,451,671.

Extended benefits were not available in any state during the week ending April 19.

Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 862 in the week ending April 26, a decrease of 48 from the prior week. There were 1,392 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 23 from the preceding week.

There were 11,785 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending April 19, a decrease of 1,531 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 21,281, an increase of 276 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending April 19 were in Puerto Rico (5.1 percent), Alaska (4.3), Michigan (3.9), Rhode Island (3.5), Oregon (3.3), California (3.2), Vermont (3.2), Pennsylvania (3.1), New Jersey (3.0), and Wisconsin (3.0).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending April 26 were in Massachusetts (+5,591), New York (+4,648), Kentucky (+3,776), New Jersey (+3,521), and Michigan (+3,238), while the largest decreases were in Texas (-3,373), Rhode Island (-1,835), California (-1,689), Pennsylvania (-1,597), and Connecticut (-1,423).


Available at:

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