Unemployment Rates in All 77 Oklahoma Counties Down Compared to 2020
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) reports that initial claims, continued claims, and the continued claims’ four-week moving average declined while the initial claims’ four-week moving average increased slightly for the week ending Dec. 25.
“Oklahoma has entered 2022 from a position of economic strength,” said Shelley Zumwalt, OESC Executive Director. “We are continuing to see a decline in unemployment across the state. For November, all 77 Oklahoma counties saw a decline compared to November 2020, which demonstrates the overall economic recovery and growth statewide. OESC is looking forward to this new year to continue to improve the services we offer Oklahomans and employers, with a focus on continuing to grow the workforce.”
Weekly Unemployment Numbers for Week Ending Dec. 25
- For the file week ending Dec. 25, the number of initial claims, unadjusted, totaled 1,762, a decrease of 954 from the previous week's level of 2,716.
- For the same file week, the less volatile initial claims’ four-week moving average was 2,090, an increase of 12 from the previous week's average of 2,078.
- The number of continued claims totaled 12,894, a decrease of 516 from the previous week’s level of 13,410.
- Continued claims’ four-week moving average was 13,939, a decrease of 127 from the previous week's average of 14,066.
Nationally, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for the week ending Jan. 1 was 207,000, an increase of 7,000 from the previous week's revised level, the U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) reports. The four-week moving average was 204,500, an increase of 4,750 from the previous week’s revised average. For the week ending Dec. 25, the U.S. DOL reports the advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.3%, 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.
