Unemployment claims rose for week ending June 24

In the week ending June 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 313,000, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 309,000, the U.S. Department of Labor announced June 29. The four-week moving average was 305,500, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's revised average of 311,500.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.9 percent for the week ending June 17, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's revised rate of 1.8 percent.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending June 17 was 2,409,000, an increase of 54,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,355,000. The four-week moving average was 2,398,750, a decrease of 2,750 from the preceding week's revised average of 2,401,500.  

UNADJUSTED DATA

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 285,688 in the week ending June 24, an increase of 8,551 from the previous week. There were 286,681 initial claims in the comparable week in 2005.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.7 percent during the week ending June 17, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,226,108, an increase of 69,214 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 1.9 percent and the volume was 2,404,688.

Extended benefits were not available in any state during the week ending June 10.

Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,232 in the week ending June 17, a decrease of 34 from the prior week. There were 1,951 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 13 from the preceding week.

There were 12,087 former federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending June 10, an increase of 683 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 25,316, a decrease of 3 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending June 10 were in Puerto Rico (4.6 percent), Alaska (3.4), Michigan (2.8), Pennsylvania (2.7), New Jersey (2.4), Arkansas (2.3), Oregon (2.3), Massachusetts (2.2), Rhode Island (2.2), California (2.1), Connecticut (2.1) and Wisconsin (2.1).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending June 17 were in California (+4,609), New Jersey (+2,724), Michigan (+1,920), Maryland (+1,895) and Wisconsin (+1,776). The largest decreases were in North Carolina (-3,352), New York (-2,003), Florida (-1,737), Alabama (-1,373) and Georgia (-1,310).