Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report {03/31/2011}

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

In the week ending March 26, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 388,000, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 394,000. The 4-week moving average was 394,250, a increase of 3,250 from the previous week's revised average of 391,000.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.0 percent for the week ending March 19, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate of 3.0 percent.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending March 19 was 3,714,000, a decrease of 51,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 3,765,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,765,250, a decrease of 32,750 from the preceding week's revised average of 3,798,000.

Read more: http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/ui/eta20110430.htm

[Pale Blue Dot]

1. ARGH! Claims are actually RISING.

This is the third week in a row that they've revised the previous week's number upward significantly, and then claimed a decrease over the revised number. How long are they going to continue playing these games?

[Donnachaidh]

2. haven't they been doing that for the past two years?

Seriously, they release a *figure* stating a decrease, the results of which is yet another photo-op/hurrah party about how they are doing so much for the unemployed, and then the figures are quietly changed after the pr parties are over with.

[Po_d Mainiac]

3. +1.........n/t

[Beacool]

4. The government has been manipulating these figures since the Reagan era.

They are B.S. figures. True unemployment is much higher. Yesterday I heard on the classical radio station that the Syracuse Orchestra is closing 2 months before the season is over. They can't keep it afloat anymore, no refunds will be given to subscribers. The Metropolitan Opera in NY had to use their two Chagalls as collateral to obtain a loan. These are the types of events that are occurring daily.

Meantime, the banks and "too big to fail" corporations have been having record breaking years. It's enough to make a sane person go mad.

x(

[mahatmakanejeeves]

7. "True unemployment is much higher."

Unemployment figures, as opposed to figures for initial claims for unemployment benefits, come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They are released monthly; the figures in this thread are released every Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. by the Employment and Training Administration of the Department of Labor.

I started a thread for the unemployment figures too, when they were released. At the urging of a DUer, I made sure to link to the table down toward the bottom where other ways of viewing unemployment were provided. Let's take a look.

Employment Situation

Table A-15. Alternative measures of labor underutilization

This table shows a far less rosy view than that provided by the news release that garners all the press.

Thanks for writing.

[Beacool]

8. Thank you for the elucidating links.

As you said, the view is far from rosie.

:(

[zalinda]

5. Oh, but according to this thread

the economy is doing much better. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x641220

zalinda

[Donnachaidh]

6. that's part of the hurrah party -- next week those figures will be changed on the QT

of course, the hurrah party won't post -that-... :shrug: