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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.

For the file week ending August 17, the number of initial claims, unadjusted, totaled 1,250, a decrease of 37 from the previous week's level of 1,287. For the same file week, the less volatile initial claims 4-week moving average was 1,262, an increase of 3 from the previous week's average of 1,259.

For the file week ending August 17, the unadjusted number of continued claims totaled 10,604, a decrease of 67 from the previous week’s level of 10,671. For the same file week, the less volatile continued claims 4-week moving average was 10,759, a decrease of 163 from the previous week's average of 10,922.

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.