Jobless Claims Unchanged Last Week

Washington, DC, June 14, 2007–Jobless claims for state unemployment were unchanged at 311,000 in the week ending June 9, according to a Labor Department report.

Claims were down about 1%, compared with the same time last year.

The four-week moving average of new claims rose by 3,750 to 311,250, a five-week high.

The number of people receiving unemployment benefits fell by 43,000 to 2.487 million in the week ending June 2. The four-week average of continuing claims rose by 4,000 to 2.501 million.

The insured unemployment rate — the percentage of those eligible for benefits who are claiming — remained at 1.9%.

In the week ending June 2, six states reported initial claims fell by more than 1,000, with fewer layoffs in construction, trade and manufacturing mentioned most frequently.