Initial Claims Down by Nearly 10%
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) reports decreases in all unemployment reporting categories.
“We are encouraged to see the state turn a corner and once again have unemployment rates decline in all reporting categories. These improvements are further proof that Oklahoma’s workforce is one of the strongest in the nation,” said OESC Executive Director Shelley Zumwalt. “At the heart of our strong economy and low unemployment rates are Oklahoma businesses that continue to grow and offer new job opportunities. As part of our efforts to help build a thriving business community for all employers across the state, OESC provides many services to assist in maintaining a strong talent and workforce pipeline, including local job fairs, tax credit programs, a federal bonding program and more. For more information on any of these programs, visit our website at https://oklahoma.gov/oesc/employers.”
Weekly Unemployment Numbers for Week Ending April 16
- For the file week ending April 16, the number of initial claims, unadjusted, totaled 1,778, a decrease of 158 from the previous week's level of 1,936.
- For the same file week, the less volatile initial claims’ four-week moving average was 2,343, a decrease of 121 from the previous week's average of 2,464.
- The number of continued claims totaled 11,419, a decrease of 446 from the previous week’s level of 11,865.
- Continued claims’ four-week moving average was 11,843, a decrease of 51 from the previous week's average of 11,894.
Nationally, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for the week ending April 23 was 180,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised level, the U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) reports. The four-week moving average was 179,750, an increase of 2,250 from the previous week's revised average. For the week ending April 16, the U.S. DOL reports the advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.0%, unchanged from the previous week’s unrevised rate.
The national weekly seasonally adjusted initial claims report is one of 10 components in the Composite Index of Leading Economic Indicators. To smooth out the volatility in the weekly initial claims data, a four-week moving average is used to assess trends.
