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 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 372,000, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week''s revised figure of 368,000. The 4-week moving average was 370,500, a decrease of 2,500 from the previous week''s revised average of 373,000.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent for the week ending May 17, 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 17 was 3,104,000, an increase of 36,000 from the preceding week''s revised level of 3,068,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,069,250, an increase of 18,500 from the preceding week''s revised average of 3,050,750.

The fiscal year-to-date average for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment for all programs is 2.873 million.

UNADJUSTED DATA

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 323,971 in the week ending May 24, an increase of 4,430 from the previous week. There were 273,397 initial claims in the comparable week in 2007.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.1 percent during the week ending May 17, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,803,105, a decrease of 44,404 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 1.7 percent and the volume was 2,231,139.

Extended benefits were not available in any state during the week ending May 10.

Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 966 in the week ending May 17, an increase of 190 from the prior week. There were 1,372 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 85 from the preceding week.

There were 11,510 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending May 10, an increase of 339 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 20,257, a decrease of 28 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending May 10 were in Puerto Rico (4.1 percent), Alaska (3.8), Michigan (3.6), California (3.2), Oregon (3.1), Pennsylvania (3.0), Rhode Island (2.9), New Jersey (2.8), Nevada (2.7), and Wisconsin (2.6).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending May 17 were in Pennsylvania (+1,695), Missouri (+1,192), South Carolina (+1,045), Indiana (+919), and Kentucky (+811), while the largest decreases were in Michigan (-3,898), North Carolina (-2,610), Georgia (-1,537), New York (-1,421), and Louisiana (-1,333).


Available at:

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