Unemployment Claims Remain Steady, Decrease Across Three Reporting Categories

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) reports that initial claims, initial claims’ four-week moving average and continued claims’ four-week moving average decreased, while continued claims increased slightly for the week ending Oct. 15.

“We are pleased to see unemployment claims numbers remain steady this week,” said Trae Rahill, OESC Chief of Staff. “Our team at OESC is committed to providing resources and services that connect Oklahomans to high quality jobs across the state. For those seeking employment, visit our website to find upcoming hiring events in your area, or check in with your local office to see what opportunities are available.” 

• For the file week ending Oct. 15, the number of initial claims, unadjusted, totaled 1,013, a decrease of 63 from the previous week's level of 1,076. 
• For the same file week, the less volatile initial claims’ four-week moving average was 1,022, a decrease of 118 from the previous week's average of 1,140.
• The unadjusted number of continued claims totaled 9,118, an increase of 63 from the previous week’s level of 9,055. 
• For the same file week, the less volatile continued claims’ four-week moving average was 9,098, a decrease of 209 from the previous week's average of 9,307.

Nationally, the advance figure for seasonally-adjusted initial claims for the week ending Oct. 22 was 217,000, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week's unrevised level, the U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) reports. The four-week moving average was 219,000, an increase of 6,750 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.