OESC Encourages Claimants to Access Employment Services
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) reports that initial claims, continued claims, and both four-week moving averages declined for the week ending Feb. 5.
“Oklahoma remains in a strong economic position as we continue to see overall unemployment claims decline,” said Shelley Zumwalt, OESC Executive Director. “Oklahoma continues to lead the nation in economic recovery and we fully expect these positive trends to continue. The agency remains dedicated to serving claimants, employers and improving the workforce through our services to create a more prosperous Oklahoma. We encourage all claimants to take full advantage of the workforce services OESC offers to find meaningful and lasting careers.”
Weekly Unemployment Numbers for Week Ending Feb. 5
- For the file week ending Feb. 5, the number of initial claims, unadjusted, totaled 1,719, a decrease of 360 from the previous week's level of 2,079.
- For the same file week, the less volatile initial claims’ four-week moving average was 2,045, a decrease of 260 from the previous week's average of 2,305.
- The number of continued claims totaled 12,689, a decrease of 173 from the previous week’s level of 12,862.
- Continued claims’ four-week moving average was 12,917, a decrease of 372 from the previous week's average of 13,289.
Nationally, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for the week ending Feb. 12 was 248,000, an increase of 23,000 from the previous week's revised level, the U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) reports. The four-week moving average was 243,250, a decrease of 10,500 from the previous week's revised average. For the week ending Feb. 5, the U.S. DOL reports the advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.2%, 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.
