The following is the unedited transcript of the news release from the U.S. Department of Labor.


SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

In the week ending Aug. 2, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 455,000, an increase of 7,000 from the previous week''s unrevised figure of 448,000. The 4-week moving average was 419,500, an increase of 26,750 from the previous week''s revised average of 392,750.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.5 percent for the week ending July 26, unchanged from the prior week''s unrevised rate of 2.5 percent.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending July 26 was 3,311,000, an increase of 31,000 from the preceding week''s revised level of 3,280,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,201,000, an increase of 27,000 from the preceding week''s revised average of 3,174,000.

The fiscal year-to-date average for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment for all programs is 2.975 million.

UNADJUSTED DATA

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 381,529 in the week ending Aug. 2, an increase of 6,379 from the previous week. There were 270,563 initial claims in the comparable week in 2007.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.4 percent during the week ending July 26, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 3,175,663, a decrease of 35,404 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 1.9 percent and the volume was 2,445,524.

Extended benefits were available in Alaska and Rhode Island during the week ending July 19.

Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,071 in the week ending July 26, a decrease of 236 from the prior week. There were 1,428 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, a decrease of 224 from the preceding week.

There were 14,182 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending July 19, an increase of 1,363 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 20,897, an increase of 346 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending July 19 were in Puerto Rico (4.9 percent), Michigan (4.0), Rhode Island (3.5), New Jersey (3.4), Pennsylvania (3.4), Wisconsin (3.4), California (3.1), Oregon (3.1), Massachusetts (3.0), and South Carolina (3.0).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending July 26 were in Ohio (+4,634), California (+3,911), Illinois (+1,496), Oregon (+817), and West Virginia (+664), while the largest decreases were in Michigan (-7,492), Wisconsin (-6,835), North Carolina (-4,415), Puerto Rico (-3,972), and Indiana (-3,792).


Available at:

http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/ui/current.htm