The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dipped 2,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 339,000, evidence that layoffs are low and hiring will likely remain steady.
In the week ending December 28, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 339,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 341,000. The 4-week moving average was 357,250, an increase of 8,500 from the previous week's revised average of 348,750.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.2% for the week ending December 21, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending December 21 was 2,833,000, a decrease of 98,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,931,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,857,750, an increase of 19,000 from the preceding week's revised average of 2,838,750.
Here are the states with the biggest increases and decreases in applications. The state-level data are for the week ended Dec. 21, one week behind the national level data:
States with the biggest increases in unemployment applications:
Michigan: Up 4,865, due to layoffs by wholesalers
New York: Up 3,284, due to layoffs in construction, food service and manufacturing
Oregon: Up 1,901, no reason given
New Jersey: Up 1,887, due to layoffs in education and public administration
Kentucky: Up 1,538, no reason given
States with the biggest decreases:
California: Down 5,429, due to fewer layoffs in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries
Illinois: Down 3,509, no reason given
Washington: Down 1,930, no reason given