Unemployment Claims Decrease Across Reporting Categories

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) reports that continued claims, continued claims’ four-week average, initial claims and initial claims’ four-week average decreased for the week ending Sept. 10.

“The last time continued claims were under 10,000 was in 1997, which is a direct reflection of Oklahoma’s strong economy and the current demand for labor in the state,” said Shelley Zumwalt, OESC Executive Director. This 25-year low for Oklahoma is a great signal that the re-employment and hiring efforts seen throughout the summer months were meaningful and effective. OESC will continue to prioritize efforts that support employers and Oklahomans seeking jobs across the state, and will remain vigilant in assessing trends to inform our response efforts.”

• For the file week ending Sept. 10, the number of initial claims, unadjusted, totaled 1,748, a decrease of 1,729 from the previous week's level of 3,477.
• For the same file week, the less volatile initial claims’ four-week moving average was 2,392, a decrease of 557 from the previous week's average of 2,949.
• The unadjusted number of continued claims totaled 9,947, a decrease of 219 from the previous week’s level of 10,166.
• For the same file week, the less volatile continued claims’ four-week moving average was 10,316, a decrease of 357 from the previous week's average of 10,673.

Nationally, the advance figure for seasonally-adjusted initial claims for the week ending Sept. 17 was 213,000, an increase of 5,000 from the previous week's revised level, the U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) reports. The four-week moving average was 216,750, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's revised 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.