Initial unemployment claims up 7000 to 325000, 4 wk ave up 1000 to 341k

[papau]

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

January 27, 2005
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

In the week ending Jan. 22, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 325,000, an increase of 7,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 318,000. The 4-week moving average was 341,750, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week's revised average of 340,750.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.2 percent for the week ending Jan. 15, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate of 2.1 percent.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending Jan. 15 was 2,840,000, an increase of 142,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,698,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,760,250, an increase of 15,250 from the preceding week's revised average of 2,745,000.


UNADJUSTED DATA

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 361,480 in the week ending Jan. 22, a decrease of 106,351 from the previous week. There were 382,262 initial claims in the comparable week in 2004.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.6 percent during the week ending Jan. 15, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 3,345,939, an increase of 3,594 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 3.0 percent and the volume was 3,798,519.

[Robert Oak]

1. anyone noticing a huge discrepancy

between the number of reported outsourced jobs, use of VISAS
to bring in cheaper foreigners and fire Americans versus the long
term unemployed?

To date we still do not have an accurate count of the number of
jobs opened/moved offshore and the use of H-1B, L-1 Visas used to
replace Americans is barely on the national radar.