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

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

In the week ending July 21, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 301,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week''s revised figure of 303,000. The 4-week moving average was 308,500, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week''s revised average of 312,500.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.9 percent for the week ending July 14, unchanged from the prior week''s unrevised rate of 1.9 percent.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending July 14 was 2,545,000, a decrease of 19,000 from the preceding week''s revised level of 2,564,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,555,500, an increase of 15,000 from the preceding week''s revised average of 2,540,500.

UNADJUSTED DATA

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 296,731 in the week ending July 21, a decrease of 87,655 from the previous week. There were 288,875 initial claims in the comparable week in 2006.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.0 percent during the week ending July 14, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,593,163, an increase of 11,669 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 1.9 percent and the volume was 2,499,741.

Extended benefits were not available in any state during the week ending July 7.

Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,660 in the week ending July 14, a decrease of 275 from the prior week. There were 1,867 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 394 from the preceding week.
There were 13,574 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending July 7, an increase of 1,851 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 21,348, an increase of 1,014 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending July 7 were in Puerto Rico (3.2 percent), New Jersey (3.1), Michigan (3.0), Pennsylvania (3.0), Rhode Island (3.0), Arkansas (2.8), Wisconsin (2.8), Alaska (2.7), Connecticut (2.6), Massachusetts (2.6), and Oregon (2.6).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending July 14 were in North Carolina (+12,842), Tennessee (+6,749), Florida (+6,028), Georgia (+5,733), and Alabama (+5,132), while the largest decreases were in Michigan (-18,269), Ohio (-11,031), Wisconsin (-7,963), New York (-6,681), and Indiana (-4,522).

Available at:

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