–Labor Estimated Claims From Six States Due To Technology Issues
–Initial Claims Up 15,000 From 414,000 In May 14 Survey Week

By Kevin Kastner and Ian McKendry

WASHINGTON (MNI) – Initial claims for U.S. state unemployment
benefits rose by 9,000 to 429,000 after seasonal adjustment in the June
18 employment survey week, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

Economists surveyed by Market News International had expected
initial claims to come in at 415,000, up 1,000 from the initially
reported level of 414,000. The previous week’s claims were revised up to
420,000.

The level of initial claims was up 15,000 from the 414,000 level in
the May 14 employment survey week.

A Labor Department analyst noted that due to technology issues,
claims data from six states had to be estimated by the Labor Department.
Those states were Mississippi, Ohio, Oregon, New Hampshire, the Virgin
Islands, and Washington State.

The analyst said seasonal factors had expected a decline of 3.6%,
or about 14,000 unadjusted claims in the current week. Instead,
unadjusted claims fell by only 1.4% — 5,683 — to 394,925 in the
current week. Unadjusted claims were at a level of 427,080 in the
comparable week a year earlier.

The initial claims seasonally adjusted 4-week moving average was
426,250 in the June 18 week, unchanged from the previous week.

The state data released for the June 11 week indicated unadjusted
claims increased in 35 states and declined in 18 states. The District of
Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands are included in this data.

In the June 11 week, continuing claims fell 1,000 to 3,697,000
after adjustment, while unadjusted continuing claims fell 12,192.

The seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate held steady at
2.9% in the June 11 week, but was still down from the 3.6% rate in the
comparable week a year earlier.

The unemployment rate among the insured labor force is well below
that reported monthly by the Labor Department because claims are
approved for the most part only for job losers, not the job leavers and
labor force reentrants included in the monthly report.

The Labor Department said that the level of unadjusted Emergency
Unemployment Compensation benefits claims rose by 5,728 in the June 4
week, bringing that category to 3,299,235. Extended benefits claims
jumped by 62,563 to 653,687, not seasonally adjusted in the same week.

The Labor Department reported that a total of 7,538,448 persons
claimed unemployment benefits in the June 4 week, a rise of 137,220 from
the previous week, but still well below the 9,736,522 persons in the
comparable week a year ago. These data are not seasonally adjusted, and
include regular state claims, federal employee claims, new veterans
claims, the EUC and extended benefits programs, state additional
benefits, and STC/Workshare claims.

** Market News International Washington Bureau: 202-371-2121 **

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