ETA News Release: Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report (09/13/2012)
Source: Department of Labor, Employment and Training Admin
Special Factor: Several states have reported increases in initial claims (approximately 9,000 in total) for the week ending September 8, 2012 , as a result of Tropical Storm Issac.
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending September 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 382,000, an increase of 15,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 367,000. The 4-week moving average was 375,000, an increase of 3,250 from the previous week's revised average of 371,750.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.6 percent for the week ending September 1, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending September 1 was 3,283,000, a decrease of 49,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 3,332,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,316,500, a decrease of 7,500 from the preceding week's revised average of 3,324,000.
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 297,402 in the week ending September 8, a decrease of 12,058 from the previous week. There were 328,868 initial claims in the comparable week in 2011.
Read more: http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/ui/eta20121837.htm
Good morning, Freepers and DUers alike. It is time once again for the weekly unemployment insurance initial claims report, brought to you as a nonpartisan public service. I ask you to put aside your differences long enough to read this post. Following that, you can engage in your usual donnybrook.
There was an increase of 15,000 this week, but there was a special factor for last week as well.
I have been posting the number every week for at least a year. I seriously do not care if the week's data make Obama look good, or Romney look good, or Chairman Mao look good, or anybody else. They are just numbers, and I post them without regard to the consequences. I welcome people from Free Republic to examine the numbers as well. They paid for the work just as much as members of DU did, so I invite them to come on over and have a look. "The more the merrier" is the way I look at it.
I do not work at the ETA, and I do not know anyone working in that agency. I'm sure I can safely assume that the numbers are gathered and analyzed by career civil servant economists who do their work on a nonpartisan basis. Numbers are numbers, and let the chips fall where they may. If you feel that these economists are falling down on the job, drop them a line or give them a call. They work for you, not for any politician or political party.
The word "initial" is important. The report does not count all claims, just the new ones filed this week.
Note: The seasonal adjustment factors used for the UI Weekly Claims data from 2007 forward, along with the resulting seasonally adjusted values for initial claims and continuing claims, have been revised. These revised historical values, as well as the seasonal adjustment factors that will be used through calendar year 2012, can be accessed at the bottom of the following link: http://www.oui.doleta.gov/press/2012/032912.asp
