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 17, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 365,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week''s revised figure of 374,000. The 4-week moving average was 372,250, an increase of 5,000 from the previous week''s revised average of 367,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent for the week ending May 10, unchanged from the prior week''s unrevised rate of 2.3 percent.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending May 10 was 3,073,000, unchanged from the preceding week''s revised level of 3,073,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,052,000, an increase of 31,750 from the preceding week''s revised average of 3,020,250.

The fiscal year-to-date average for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment for all programs is 2,848,932.

UNADJUSTED DATA

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 317,542 in the week ending May 17, a decrease of 7,867 from the previous week. There were 270,446 initial claims in the comparable week in 2007.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.1 percent during the week ending May 10, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,851,525, an increase of 5,506 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 1.8 percent and the volume was 2,329,671.

Extended benefits were not available in any state during the week ending May 3.

Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 775 in the week ending May 10, a decrease of 148 from the prior week. There were 1,443 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 57 from the preceding week.

There were 11,168 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending May 3, a decrease of 1,104 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 20,281, a decrease of 666 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending May 3 were in Puerto Rico (4.1 percent), Alaska (4.0), Michigan (3.5), Oregon (3.3), California (3.0), New Jersey (2.9), Pennsylvania (2.9), Rhode Island (2.9), Nevada (2.8), Vermont (2.7), and Wisconsin (2.7).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending May 10 were in Michigan (+6,637), North Carolina (+3,344), Georgia (+2,202), Mississippi (+1,804), and Louisiana (+1,489), while the largest decreases were in New York (-15,244), Kentucky (-4,391), Wisconsin (-1,514), Pennsylvania (-1,149), and Oregon (-1,144).


Available at:

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