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The federal government has reopened. Federal employees should stop filing unemployment claims. Any benefits received during the shutdown must be repaid, and unpaid balances may be subject to interest and garnishment. For assistance, contact OESC at one of our 27 job centers or call 405-525-1500. https://oklahoma.gov/oesc/locations.html

Continued Claims’ Four-Week Moving Average Declines for Seventh Consecutive Week

Thursday, March 24, 2022

Initial Claims and Initial Claims’ Four-Week Moving Average Increase

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) reports that continued claims and the continued claims’ four-week moving average declined for the week ending March 12. This marks the seventh consecutive week that the continued claims’ four-week moving average has declined. Initial claims and initial claims’ four-week moving average increased, which is consistent with the seasonal pattern the state sees annually when comparing February to March initial claims. 

“Oklahoma’s unemployment numbers remain better than pre-pandemic levels, which is an excellent indicator of the strength of our state’s economy,” said Shelley Zumwalt, OESC Executive Director. “As Oklahoma continues to see record-high workforce participation with more than 1.8 million Oklahomans employed, OESC remains focused on providing programs to support those looking for employment and employers. One of the programs the agency participates in is the U.S. Department of Labor’s Federal Bonding program, which provides individual fidelity bonds to employers to minimize the risk of hiring hard-to-place job applicants. Employers are encouraged to take advantage of the program and can learn more by visiting oklahoma.gov/oesc/individuals/programs/federal-bonding.”

Weekly Unemployment Numbers for Week Ending March 12

  • For the file week ending March 12, the number of initial claims, unadjusted, totaled 1,861, an increase of 306 from the previous week's level of 1,555.
  • For the same file week, the less volatile initial claims’ four-week moving average was 1,614, an increase of 30 from the previous week's average of 1,584.
  • The number of continued claims totaled 11,847, a decrease of 158 from the previous week’s level of 12,005. 
  • Continued claims’ four-week moving average was 12,072, a decrease of 218 from the previous week's average of 12,290.

Nationally, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for the week ending March 19 was 187,000, a decrease of 28,000 from the previous week's revised level, the U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) reports. The four-week moving average was 211,750, a decrease of 11,500 from the previous week's revised average. For the week ending March 12, 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.