In the week ending Aug. 25, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 334,000, an increase of 9,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 325,000. The 4-week moving average was 324,500, an increase of 6,250 from the previous week's revised average of 318,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.0 percent for the week ending Aug. 18, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week's unrevised rate of 1.9 percent.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending Aug. 18 was 2,579,000, an increase of 13,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,566,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,561,000, an increase of 11,250 from the preceding week's revised average of 2,549,750.

UNADJUSTED DATA

The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 264,038 in the week ending Aug. 25, an increase of 6,572 from the previous week. There were 251,275 initial claims in the comparable week in 2006.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.8 percent during the week ending Aug. 18, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,375,170, a decrease of 39,533 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 1.7 percent and the volume was 2,268,911.

Extended benefits were not available in any state during the week ending Aug. 11.

Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,194 in the week ending Aug. 18, an increase of 1 from the prior week. There were 1,994 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 108 from the preceding week.

There were 14,248 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending Aug. 11, a decrease of 93 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 21,379, an increase of 146 from the prior week.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending Aug. 11 were in Puerto Rico (3.8 percent), New Jersey (3.0), Pennsylvania (2.9), Rhode Island (2.8), Michigan (2.7), Alaska (2.5), Massachusetts (2.5), Arkansas (2.4), Connecticut (2.4), and California (2.3).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending Aug. 18 were in Michigan (+3,254), Florida (+1,304), North Carolina (+870), Virginia (+274), and Idaho (+237), while the largest decreases were in California (-3,983), Kentucky (-1,529), Puerto Rico (-1,443), Texas (-1,308), and Louisiana (-752).