<H3>• U.S. Initial Unemployment Claims – 22 March 2014 </H3>

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In the week ending March 22, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 311,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 321,000. The 4-week moving average was 317,750, a decrease of 9,500 from the previous week's revised average of 327,250. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.2 percent for the week ending March 15, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending March 8 were in Alaska (5.5), New Jersey (4.1), Rhode Island (3.9), Connecticut (3.8), Pennsylvania (3.7), California (3.6), Illinois (3.6), Montana (3.4), Massachusetts (3.3), and Wisconsin (3.3). The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending March 15 were in California (+3,189), Nebraska (+1,044), Virginia (+513), Missouri (+492), and Tennessee (+474), while the largest decreases were in Pennsylvania (-3,166), Illinois (-2,320), New York (-2,155), Texas (-1,373), and Wisconsin (-1,055). Note: “Insured unemployment rate” refers to individuals who are unemployed and receiving UC benefits. See the complete report at this link: USDOL-BLS

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