Oklahoma One of Seven States to Receive the Funding from U.S. Department of Labor
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) is one of seven states to be awarded the U.S. Department of Labor’s UI Navigator Grant. The grant funding will be used to partner with the Oasis Project in North Tulsa to promote equitable access to unemployment benefits, increase awareness of program requirements and ensure timely payment of benefits to eligible workers, with an emphasis on serving marginalized communities facing barriers to employment.
The Oasis Project is a community nonprofit established by Aaron Johnson that serves North Tulsa which historically has experienced high unemployment rates — five times the statewide average — and high poverty levels. Until the Oasis Fresh Market opened in 2021, the area was also classified as a food desert. OESC will provide an embedded worker to the Oasis Fresh Market, giving the community direct assistance in applying for and receiving UI benefits, as well as training and reemployment opportunities.
“Since being appointed by the OESC Board of Commissioners two years ago, my priorities have included ensuring Oklahomans in need have access to UI benefits and critical workforce training services,” said OESC Executive Director Shelley Zumwalt. “In that time, OESC has made major strides in improving our state’s workforce — creating more jobs, increasing access to UI services and training opportunities, and encouraging reemployment, which has resulted in more Oklahomans in the workforce than ever before. The agency is committed to finding new and innovative ways to serve individuals with employment barriers in the state, including grant opportunities such as the UI Navigator Program.”
Weekly Unemployment Numbers for Week Ending June 4
The agency reports that, for the week ending June 4, initial claims and continued claims’ four-week moving average decreased, while continued claims and the initial claims’ four-week moving average increased.
- For the file week ending June 4, the number of initial claims, unadjusted, totaled 1,973, a decrease of 598 from the previous week's level of 2,571.
- For the same file week, the less volatile initial claims’ four-week moving average was 2,063, an increase of 65 from the previous week's average of 1,998.
- The unadjusted number of continued claims totaled 11,011, an increase of 806 from the previous week’s level of 10,205.
- For the same file week, the less volatile continued claims’ four-week moving average was 10,668, a decrease of 97 from the previous week's average of 10,765.
Nationally, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for the week ending June 11 was 229,000, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised level, the U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) reports. The four-week moving average was 218,500, an increase of 2,750 from the previous week's revised average. For the week ending June 4, the U.S. DOL reports the advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 0.9%, 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.
