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


SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

In the week ending April 19, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 342,000, a decrease of 33,000 from the previous week''s revised figure of 375,000. The 4-week moving average was 369,500, a decrease of 7,250 from the previous week''s revised average of 376,750.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.2 percent for the week ending April 12, unchanged from the prior week''s unrevised rate of 2.2 percent.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending April 12 was 2,934,000, a decrease of 65,000 from the preceding week''s revised level of 2,999,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,959,500, an increase of 20,500 from the preceding week''s revised average of 2,939,000.

UNADJUSTED DATA

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 325,867 in the week ending April 19, a decrease of 44,935 from the previous week. There were 303,984 initial claims in the comparable week in 2007.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent during the week ending April 12, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 3,042,587, a decrease of 46,373 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 2.0 percent and the volume was 2,634,301.

Extended benefits were not available in any state during the week ending April 5.

Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,020 in the week ending April 12, an increase of 96 from the prior week. There were 1,478 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 86 from the preceding week.

There were 12,601 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending April 5, a decrease of 1,811 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 21,588, an increase of 26 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending April 5 were in Michigan (4.2 percent), Puerto Rico (4.2), Alaska (4.1), Rhode Island (3.5), Wisconsin (3.5), Oregon (3.3), Pennsylvania (3.3), Vermont (3.3), New Jersey (3.2), California (3.1), Idaho (3.0), and Massachusetts (3.0).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending April 12 were in California (+8,791), Florida (+4,281), Michigan (+2,943), North Carolina (+2,415), and Puerto Rico (+1,452), while the largest decreases were in Kentucky (-2,502), Oregon (-1,646), South Carolina (-1,543), New York (-1,436), and Illinois (-1,397).


Available at:

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