<H3>• U.S. Initial Unemployment [Jobless] Claims Up 2k </H3>

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In the week ending March 16, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 336,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 334,000 but down 7.7% from the same week a year ago. The 4-week moving average was 339,750, a decrease of 7,500 from the previous week's revised average of 347,250. Click on chart to enlarge The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.4 percent for the week ending March 9, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending March 2 were in Alaska (5.8), Puerto Rico (4.4), Rhode Island (4.2), Montana (4.1), New Jersey (4.1), Pennsylvania (4.1), Connecticut (4.0), Wisconsin (3.9), Illinois (3.6), and Massachusetts (3.6). The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending March 9 were in Georgia (+1,678), Florida (+802), Pennsylvania (+801), Ohio (+741), and Texas (+640), while the largest decreases were in New York (-7,248), California (-6,189), Illinois (-1,172), Kansas (-1,098), and Alabama (-1,083). Note: “Insured unemployment rate” refers to individuals who are unemployed and receiving UC benefits. Source: USDOL-BLS

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