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


SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

In the week ending Sept. 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 302,000, a decrease of 17,000 from the previous week''s revised figure of 319,000. The 4-week moving average was 313,500, a decrease of 2,750 from the previous week''s revised average of 316,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.9% for the week ending Sept. 23, unchanged from the prior week''s unrevised rate of 1.9%.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending Sept. 23 was 2,448,000, an increase of 15,000 from the preceding week''s revised level of 2,433,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,455,750, a decrease of 8,250 from the preceding week''s revised average of 2,464,000.

UNADJUSTED DATA

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 247,589 in the week ending Sept. 30, a decrease of 13,737 from the previous week. There were 313,847 initial claims in the comparable week in 2005.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.6% during the week ending Sept. 23, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,063,376, an increase of 374 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 1.9 percent and the volume was 2,393,581.

Extended benefits were not available in any state during the week ending Sept. 16.

Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,324 in the week ending Sept. 23, an increase of 263 from the prior week. There were 1,877 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 79 from the preceding week.

There were 14,376 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending Sept. 16, a decrease of 42 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 24,805, a decrease of 569 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending Sept. 16 were in Puerto Rico (3.7 percent), Alaska (2.5), Michigan (2.5), New Jersey (2.5), Pennsylvania (2.4), Arkansas (2.2), Connecticut (2.0), Massachusetts (2.0), Oregon (2.0), and Rhode Island (2.0).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending Sept. 23 were in Michigan (+15,513), Missouri (+1,177), California (+802), Texas (+790), and Arkansas (+367), while the largest decreases were in Kentucky (-5,149), North Carolina (-3,499), Virginia (-2,502), Georgia (-2,476), and Minnesota (-1,576).


Available at:

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