WASHINGTON (MNI) - Initial claims for U.S. state unemployment benefits fell by 10,000 to a level of 268,000 in the May 21 week, data released by the Labor Department Thursday showed.
Expectations for this week's data were for an adjusted claims level of 275,000, which would have been down 3,000 from the previous week's originally reported 278,000 level. That week's level was unrevised.
The Labor Department said there were no special factors in this week's claims data and only Wyoming's claims were estimated.
Seasonal adjustment factors had expected an increase of 2.0%, or 5,003, in unadjusted claims for the current week. Actual unadjusted claims fell by 4,001 to 240,868 in the week, a 1.6% decrease. The current week's level was lower than the 253,45 level in the comparable week a year ago.
The seasonally adjusted four-week moving average rose by 2,750 to 278,500 in the May 21 week, as the April 23 week's 257,000 level rolled out of the calculation.
The level of continuing claims rose by 10,000 to 2.163 million in the May 14 week. Before seasonal adjustment, continuing claims fell by 3,640 to 2.011 million. This is below the 2.079 million unadjusted level in the comparable week a year ago.
The seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was unchanged at 1.6%. The rate was still down from 1.7% in the comparable week a year earlier.
The unemployment rate among the insured labor force is well below that reported monthly by the Labor Department because claims are approved for the most part only for job losers, not the job leavers and labor force reentrants included in the monthly report.
