Initial Jobless Claims Declined by 11,000 in Week Ending August 12

Washington, DC, August 17, 2023-In the week ending August 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 239,000, a decrease of 11,000 from the previous week's revised level, according to the Department of Labor. 

The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 248,000 to 250,000. The four-week moving average was 234,250, an increase of 2,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 231,000 to 231,500.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.2% for the week ending August 5, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the previous week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending August 5 was 1,716,000, an increase of 32,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 1,684,000. The four-week moving average was 1,692,750, a decrease of 8,250 from the previous week's unrevised average of 1,701,000.