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


SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

In the week ending Dec. 29, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 336,000, a decrease of 21,000 from the previous week''s revised figure of 357,000. The 4-week moving average was 343,750, a decrease of 750 from the previous week''s revised average of 344,500.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.1 percent for the week ending Dec. 22, an increase of 0.1 percentage point the prior week''s unrevised rate of 2.0 percent.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending Dec. 22 was 2,761,000, an increase of 46,000 from the preceding week''s revised level of 2,715,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,687,000, an increase of 42,000 from the preceding week''s revised average of 2,645,000.

UNADJUSTED DATA

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 510,652 in the week ending Dec. 29, an increase of 54,681 from the previous week. There were 499,979 initial claims in the comparable week in 2006.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.1 percent during the week ending Dec. 22, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,819,269, an increase of 3,918 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 2.0 percent and the volume was 2,654,693.

Extended benefits were not available in any state during the week ending Dec. 15.

Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,915 in the week ending Dec. 22, an increase of 167 from the prior week. There were 1,491 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 5 from the preceding week.

There were 16,760 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending Dec. 15, a decrease of 1,207 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 24,057, a decrease of 484 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending Dec. 15 were in Alaska (4.3 percent), Michigan (3.6), Pennsylvania (3.3), Rhode Island (3.1), Wisconsin (3.0), California (2.9), New Jersey (2.9), Oregon (2.9), Idaho (2.8), Arkansas (2.7), Massachusetts (2.7), and Puerto Rico (2.7).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending Dec. 22 were in Michigan (+12,084), California (+6,345), Indiana (+4,754), Texas (+4,388), and Pennsylvania (+4,264), while the largest decreases were in Illinois (-1,819), New York (-1,139), Colorado (-1,075), Florida (-989), and North Carolina (-839).


Available at:

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