Unemployment Claims Remain Stable Across Reporting Categories
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) reports that initial and continued claims increased slightly, while initial and continued claims’ four-week moving averages decreased for the week ending Oct. 1.
“Unemployment claims numbers this week remain stable across all reporting categories, with a decrease in the four-week moving averages. We’re proud of the dedication of our staff and their continued work to ensure Oklahomans receive the services they need.” said Trae Rahill, OESC Chief of Staff. “This Tuesday, Oct. 11, was former Director Zumwalt’s last day at the agency. We are grateful and appreciative of her contributions and leadership, and we wish her the best in her new position. In the meantime, executive staff are working together as a team to continue providing reliable services to Oklahomans.”
The OESC Executive Director is a board-appointed position. The Board of Commissioners plans to address next steps to fill the position at the next meeting.
Weekly Unemployment Numbers for Week Ending Oct. 1
- For the file week ending Oct. 1, the number of initial claims, unadjusted, totaled 1,031, an increase of 62 from the previous week's level of 969.
- For the same file week, the less volatile initial claims’ four-week moving average was 1,308, a decrease of 612 from the previous week's average of 1,920.
- The unadjusted number of continued claims totaled 9,298, an increase of 379 from the previous week’s level of 8,919.
- For the same file week, the less volatile continued claims’ four-week moving average was 9,530, a decrease of 217 from the previous week's average of 9,747.
Nationally, the advance figure for seasonally-adjusted initial claims for the week ending Oct. 8 was 228,000, an increase of 9,000 from the previous week's unrevised level, the U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) reports. The four-week moving average was 211,500, an increase of 5,000 from the previous week's unrevised average.
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.
