Initial and Continued Claims Data
The national weekly seasonally adjusted initial claims series is a leading economic indicator and is widely followed by economic and financial analysts to help them assess where the economy might be headed. It is one of ten components in the Composite Index of Leading Economic Indicators. To smooth out the volatility in the weekly initial claims data, a 4-week moving average is used to assess trends.
Oklahoma's Unemployment Insurance claims data presented below are not seasonally adjusted.
There are two components to the Unemployment Insurance claims data. The first component, initial claims, measure emerging unemployment. The second component, continued weeks claimed, (also referred to as insured unemployment), measure the number of persons claiming unemployment benefits after their initial claim.
NOTE: Beginning January 1st, 2023, a new state law takes effect that will reduce Oklahoma unemployment benefits from 26 weeks down to 16 weeks. We expect that this will put downward pressure on the number of continued claims as we progress throughout 2023 and make comparisons with the prior year more difficult.
For the file week ending September 16, the number of initial claims, unadjusted, totaled 1,055, a decrease of 136 from the previous week's level of 1,191. For the same file week, the less volatile initial claims 4-week moving average was 1,251, a decrease of 26 from the previous week's average of 1,277.
For the file week ending September 16, the unadjusted number of continued claims totaled 9,239, a decrease of 291 from the previous week’s level of 9,530. For the same file week, the less volatile continued claims 4-week moving average was 9,478, a decrease of 137 from the previous week's average of 9,615.
This data comes from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment & Training Administration (DOLETA).
Download a spreadsheet containing Oklahoma Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Data.
For data on other states or for more information on the data visit the Employment and Training Administration's website at: https://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/claims.asp.
